BELCHERTOWN — Raptor rehabilitator Julie Collier doesn’t know if she’s changing children’s lives, but she is giving them the opportunity to unplug for a few moments and experience the wild world up close.
The Leverett resident cares for birds of prey that have been injured, with the goal of releasing them back to the wild. Those birds unable to care for themselves find a new home with Collier and a glimpse at local stardom as she brings them around to area schools.
Chestnut Hill Community School was where Collier and the birds found themselves Thursday, speaking to approximately 200 fifth-graders.
Seated on the floor of the library, a group of about 60 students listened intently to Collier talk about the six birds of prey she brought with her.
“I don’t want to present these birds as pets because they aren’t,” Collier said after her talk. “I do want to present them as individuals because they are.”
WingMasters, run by Collier and Jim Parks, offers educational presentations with birds of prey. In addition to that, Collier is a licensed raptor rehabilitator.
She has 16 birds of prey she uses in programs. The birds, she said, cannot be released. Those that can don’t become part of the program. Currently, she is helping to care for three birds that are being treated by at Tufts Wildlife Clinic, part of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.
“Seeing is absolutely important. These kids, more than you and I are, are tied to machines and I don’t see that changing,” Collier said. “Show them these bird up close. Am I changing lives? I don’t know about that but I do think I am teaching, and that’s all-important to me.”
Collier has been giving presentations at the school for about eight years. Her visits are made possible with funds from the school’s parent teacher organization.
“It’s a collaboration of so many people,” said Wendy Robinson, a fifth-grade math, science and social studies teacher.
The birds’ visit comes as no surprise to the students as some have been asking about her visit since the beginning of the school year.
“She’s just so good at what she does and you can tell she appreciates them so much and the birds obviously have such a respect for her,” Robinson said.
That respect, Robinson said, is something the students pick up on and respond with rapt attention.
After an introduction about the birds in general, Collier pulled the first bird out of its transportation box.
It was Shawmut, a 4-year-old American kestrel — “a species that is in deep trouble,” according to Collier. Its small stature — it weighs only 4 ounces — makes it the smallest falcon breed in North America. The birds also eat insects, which has helped lead to their demise.
“Insects carry pesticides,” Collier told the students. “If you only weigh 4 ounces, it doesn’t take much poison.”
The next feathered guest to make an appearance was Karnak, a 4-year-old peregrine falcon.
“The peregrine falcon, which was gone when I was your age, is back,” she said. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you one person cannot make a difference because that is not true.”
The person, Collier said, was Rachel Carson and her book “Silent Spring,” which warned about the environmental dangers of the then-common pesticide DDT.
Using a single feather to demonstrate, Collier flicked a wing to show the stiffness of a falcon feather compared to that of an owl.
“He is built for speed and, unlike an owl, he is smart,” she said. “A wise old owl lives in one place. A story book.”
Next to come was Tunxis, a 14-year-old red-tailed hawk, who has been with Collier since she learned to fly.
“They are smart and adaptable and this one is annoying,” she said.
The annoyance, Collier explained, was because the hawk thinks the two are family.
“She thinks it’s fun to annoy me and she’s good at it,” she said.
Before taking Tunxis out of her transport box, Collier gave the students a challenge and outlined one for herself.
“My challenge will be to hold her without getting whacked in the face by her wing or without getting pooped on,” she said. “Your challenge is to come up with five things that are different from a falcon.”
As Collier held Tunxis on her arm, the students began to come up with differences. One offered that there was no black underneath her eyes like the falcon. Her feathers, another student noticed, were also softer.
The tiny screech owl, Chickasaw, drew many coos from the crowd for its small stature and fluffy appearance.
Using a picture to better illustrate her point, Collier spoke of the owl’s great camouflage skills.
“This bird may be as common as a red-tailed hawk, it’s just not commonly seen,” she said. “Owls eat other birds at night because they can. It’s easy. During the day, they get even. Any owl they recognize, they will gang up on and kill.”
Following the hourlong presentation, students were given a chance to ask questions of Collier. Some asked about the care of the birds — do they get to fly around her house (only the barn owl). Others wanted to know how many birds she’s cared for (hundreds over the years) or how long it takes the birds to learn a command (it depends on the bird but owls, Collier said, are impossible.)
As the students headed off to lunch, a few stopped to share their opinion on the presentation.
“It was really good,” 11-year-old Gavin Pedro said. “I like seeing the birds’ features and learning their characteristics.”
One new characteristic Gavin said he learned was that the barn owl has a curved face, which helps it hear. The feathers surrounding the owl’s face help to trap and focus sound like the outer ear on a human.
“I’ve never seen an actual barn owl or a hawk before this,” Gavin said.
For 10-year-old Sarah O’Connor, it was the fact that when owls fly they make no noise that stuck in her mind following the presentation.
“Falcons have tougher wings than owls and you can hear them fly but owls are nocturnal so they need to be stealthy and you can’t hear them when they fly,” she said.
Sarah said she planned on telling her brother about the talk when she got home from school Thursday because he likes nature.
“It was really fun,” she said.
Caleb Brechner, 11, also had some advice he said he would share with his brother when he got home.
“I’ll tell my brother that it was good and I’ll tell him not to talk,” he said.
A favorite of many of the children, including Caleb, was the red-tailed hawk.
“It was really great,” he said. “I especially enjoyed the red-tailed hawk — how she was annoyed with the speaker, like family.”