Our 3 bald eagles came to the Park as the result of being injured in the wild. Their injuries prevent them from flying and so were unreleasable.  They have come to find a permanent home with us. 

Description: The bald eagle is an enormous bird. Haliaeetus means "sea eagle," and leucocephalus refers to its white head. The wings, wide and long for soaring, span more than 2 m. When perched, the bird measures about 76 cm tall. Weights of over 7 kg are not uncommon. On average, females are larger than males, and juveniles are larger but lighter in weight than adults of the same sex. Bald eagles that breed in the southern United States are smaller than those that breed farther north.

Males and females have identical plumage. Adults have a dark brown (almost black) body that contrasts sharply with the white feathers on the head and tail, and the yellow beak, eyes, and legs. It takes a young bald eagle four or five years to achieve this distinctive coloration. Until then, bird watchers may confuse it with other birds, such as the turkey vulture and golden eagle while in flight.  Bald eagles have massive beaks, large talons, and oversized feet equipped with small spikes, called spicules which help them to catch and kill their prey.

Distribution: Found almost all over Canada and down into the United States.  Bald eagles prefer to live near water as they are excellent fishers, perching in tall sometimes dead trees. 

Diet: Bald eagles eat fish, small mammals and other birds, but typically will eat dead animals over catching their own food.  Bald eagles are also well known for stealing food from other birds such as osprey or peregrine falcons. 

Our barred owl came to us through our Rehabilitation Program.  He was too badly injured to be released back into the wild, so he has found a permanent home here at the Park.

Description: Barred owls have a very distinct vertical barring pattern on their chest with brown and white mottling on their backs.  Their facial discs are well defined and tend to be lighter in colour than the rest of their body; they also have large striking black eyes.

Distribution: These owls can be found in dense forests mainly across Canada, the Eastern United States and the northern part of the Western United States.    

Diet: Barred owls tend to be very opportunistic, consuming a wide variety of rodents, small rabbits, small birds, fish, reptiles, frogs and insects.

Behaviour: Barred owls lay 2-4 eggs, and take care of their young for longer than other species of owls.   Like other birds of prey, both the male and the female will care for the young, and breeding pairs tend to breed for life.  

Our two great gray owls arrived at the Park as injured wildlife. After a stay in our hospital, it was determined that both had permanent damage and therefore could not be released. They have found a permanent home with us.

Description: Great grey owls are North America’s largest owl with a wingspan up to 60 inches! These owls are mostly fluff, weighing only 2-3 pounds, about half the weight of a snowy owl. 

Distribution: In North America, they range from Alaska south to the northwestern US and east to the Great Lakes. Great gray owls also inhabit northern Europe and Russia. They are year-round residents of secluded wilderness areas, preferring coniferous forests in the far north and mountainous areas in the west. 

Diet: The great gray owl’s main prey is small rodents like mice and squirrels. The feathers of its facial disc channel sound to its ears allowing it to locate prey, even beneath 2 feet of snow in the dark! Upon hearing its prey, the owl glides from its perch and snatches the food with its talons, breaking through layers of snow if necessary.  In the northern winter these owls can consume up to a third of their body weight daily! 

Behaviour: Usually nesting in abandoned hawk and eagle nests or on tree stumps, great gray owls are devoted parents. When prey is scarce, females will starve themselves to maximize food for their chicks, losing up to a third of their own body weight. Their sacrifices are rewarded with remarkably high breeding success rates. Breeding pairs in North America successfully fledge 70-80 percent of their young.

The Park has three great horned owls.  All came to the park as injured wildlife and unfortunately could not be released after rehabilitation.  

Description: The great horned owl is best known for the large tufts of feathers on its head that resemble horns. It has brown white, gray, and black markings that looks like tree bark, offering them fantastic camouflage.  It has a wing span of over four feet and it is about two feet in height.

Distribution: The great horned owl has a very large range. It can be found in forests in North, Central and South America from Arctic tree regions in the north to the Straits of Magellan in the south.

Diet: The great horned owl is nocturnal; hunting smal mammals like mice, rabbits, squirrels, however their favorite food is skunk. It also eats birds like ducks and quail. It eats small prey whole, larger prey it rips up into smaller pieces that is can swallow. It regurgitates or throws up the undigested parts, like bones and fur, in owl pellets. You can often tell what an owl has eaten by looking at these pellets.