Experts teach people about birds
Karen Peterson
Jacelyn Charlo, 7, finds mouse bones in a bird pellet.
Karen Peterson
Native Americans use bird feathers to decorate regalia.
Karen Peterson
CSKT Wildlife Management Program manager Dale Becker brought two stuffed adult trumpeter swans to the event to teach people about the reintroduction program.
Karen Peterson
People feed bird seeds to a green-cheeked conures parakeet brought to the event by Animal Wonders Inc.
Karen Peterson
A blue-and-gold macaw has a snack at the festival; Animal Wonders Inc. brought the bird to the event.
Karen Peterson
Connor Durglo, 8, learns what an eagle eats.
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
Just about everything you can think of concerning birds was at the Fourth Annual International Migratory Bird Day in Pablo on Friday including live birds, bird education, stuffed birds, birdseed, bird habitat, toy birds, photos of birds, bird health and much more.
“This is about getting the word out about protecting birds with a fusion of art, science and Native American culture,” said event organizer Whisper Camel-Means, and about getting people together and celebrating community.
The event focused on migratory birds as it was International Migratory Bird Day, but other bird species were added in. And if anyone was wondering why birds matter, posters around the event explained it. Birds control the insect population, some birds pollinate flowers, and others, like the turkey vulture, are nature’s garbage disposals.
Many educational tables were set up at the Joe McDonald event center on the Salish Kootenai College campus to celebrate the day. Event participant Connor Durglo, 8, put on an eagle mask and played a game to learn that birds are affected by what people put in the environment. For example, if pesticides are improperly used, the eagle can end up consuming them, which is why the bald eagle population neared extinction in the 1970s.
Conner likes birds so much that he missed baseball practice to go to the event. He likes the common nighthawk best of all birds.
“It goes up in the air and dives down really fast to catch its prey,” he said. “Birds are really interesting and they can fly.”
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s Pesticide Program sponsored the game Connor played at the event. Their goal is to reduce, recycle or eliminate things that harm birds.
The Mission Valley Audubon Society set out a station for people to examine an owl’s pellet, which is the upchucked ball of fur from its dinner. Jacelyn Charlo, 7, took apart the soft ball of fiber with tweezers to discover tiny mouse bones.
CSKT Wildlife Management Program manager Dale Becker brought two stuffed adult trumpeter swans to the event. The birds were most likely killed by power lines. Becker said the swans are making a comeback in the Mission Valley due to a reintroduction program after almost being non-existent in the 1900s.
Lynn Kelly with the Montana Loon Society said that lead poisoning is causing high death rates among loons by destroying their gizzards and liver. She asks fishermen to use non-lead tackle.
At another station, people could practice saying the names of birds in Salish, and tribal elder Stipn Small Salmon displayed his tribal regalia decorated with eagle feathers. He said the feathers were sacred to the Pend d’Oreille, and it is illegal for people to sell the feathers, but Native Americans can use them for cultural practices.
Charlie Holtz with Pheasants Forever was on hand to talk about the habitat management program between CSKT, Pheasants Forever and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Ninepipe to help increase the pheasant populations.
“The project has a lot of moving parts, and when you have good people behind those parts, excellent things happen,” he said, explaining that the project was creating more plant diversity to benefit pheasants and other ground nesting birds.
A nonprofit project called Animal Wonders Inc. brought a few live displaced exotic birds to the event from all over Montana. But one might wonder, how did a blue-and-gold macaw typical of South American end up in Montana?
“They are popular in the pet trade,” said project co-founder Augusto Castaneda. “And they are cute, but unfortunately, they are loud, and people give them away or try and get rid of them.”
The group rescues exotic birds and gives them the opportunity to become ambassadors, if they seem comfortable, for the species with live educational presentations. The organization is the only non-profit outreach group for exotic animals in Montana.
The event was sponsored by CSKT, SKC and Mission Valley Audubon Society with additional grant funding sources. They also hosted a poster contest for third-graders in schools across the valley.
The first place winner was Jack Keast of St. Ignatius Elementary School with teacher Mrs. Kristen Hawkaluk. Second place went to Kaycee Norman of Dayton Elementary School with teacher Mrs. Raynee Clairmont. Third place went to Hanna Lytton of K. William Harvey Elementary School with teacher Mrs. Colleen Torgison. The People’s Choice Award went to Gabriella Ilac of K. William Harvey Elementary with Teacher Mrs.Peggy Rowe. The Multi-Media Artwork award went to Marina Kestner-Pavlock of Glacier Lake School in St. Ignatius.
