Osprey returns to the wild after being shot

As a large bird of prey continually took short flight in her lower pasture near Lake Blaine May 12, Pamela Bates was afraid she had lost one of her horses. As she rushed down to inspect the scene, she had no idea it would be the bird she would wind up saving.

A self-proclaimed animal lover, Bates has spent many hours watching the Snappy Sports Senter Osprey Cam, but had never been close to a raptor until now.

As she approached the pasture, she could see the bird take flight for a few seconds at a time before touching down near the same place again and again. It was obvious that something was wrong.

“I saw there was no dead animal and, as I got closer, I could see that the bird had blood on the bird’s neck. When it would attempt to fly, I could see that one wing was going backwards,” Bates said. “I had to do something.”

Wanting to help, but not sure what to do, Bates remembered hearing about Beth Watne and her work saving injured birds of prey at the Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center in Kalispell.

After a quick Google search and a phone call, Bates grabbed a plastic tub and headed down to attempt to capture the wounded bird.

Using a soft voice in hopes of calming the osprey, Bates eventually was able to contain the injured bird and transport it to the Recovery Center along the Flathead River just off Panoramic Drive.

“I love animals and I have rescued small birds before, but nothing with this kind of wingspan or talons before,” Bates said. “It was intimidating, but I did what had to be done.”

It was Bates' first time meeting Kalispell’s “Bird Lady.”

“It was amazing and Beth is such a wonderful woman. She has such compassion and a drive for saving these birds. I had heard about her for much of my life, but this was the first chance I’ve had to actually meet her,” Bates said. “She has no fear. She just grabbed the bird right out of the tote, talons and all, and put it in a safe place until the vet could come take a look the next day.”

THE REPORT from Glacier Animal Hospital’s Dr. Mark Lawson the following day was not a good one. The bird had been shot through the wing. Watne told Bates the bird had a 50/50 chance of survival after surgery and, if it survived, only a 50/50 chance of ever being able to return to the wild.

“That’s probably what perturbed me the most about this whole thing. Who would shoot a beautiful bird like that?” Bates asked. “That was just so annoying to me. The people who could do that sort of thing are heartless.”

Bates received frequent updates from Watne, detailing the bird’s recovery and, after nearly three weeks of care, the bird was ready to be released back into the wild May 30.

Watne and Lawson joined Bates at Lake Blaine that Sunday as the bird was ready to be released, but more tense moments were ahead as a bald eagle took notice of the weak osprey as it took its first flight.

After struggling to make it across the lake, the osprey landed on the opposite shore, under the watchful eye of the eagle.

“I was so afraid at that point. We had done all of this work to save the bird and now there was this bald eagle that looked as if it was going to eat it,” Bates said.

Watching through binoculars as the two birds stared at each other for nearly an hour, Bates could do nothing when both birds took flight, the eagle quickly closing the distance between it and the osprey. At the last moment, the eagle broke off its pursuit and returned to its roost. The osprey continued its flight out of sight.

“It was pure serendipity. I watch ospreys on the Snappy’s cam every day, but I never thought I would get the chance to help one like this,” Bates said. “He’s so gorgeous and it was an honor to be able to find him and help him. I guess he was lucky to have wound up in our pasture.”

The osprey was just one of the 80 to 100 birds the Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center helps each year. The center deals with birds suffering from a variety of injuries, from being struck by vehicles to animals that have been shot or poisoned. With the help of more than a dozen volunteers, Watne and the recovery center successfully rehabilitate and release more than 50% of the injured birds back into the wild each year, along with helping flightless birds transition into becoming educational animals.

For more information about the center, visit their website at www.wildwingsrecovery.org.

Reporter Jeremy Weber may be reached at 758-4446 or jweber@dailyinterlake.com