Fair-Mont-Egan School second-graders got quite a thrill during their field trip to Wild Wings Recovery Center on Monday when a rehabilitated bald eagle was released into the wild just a short distance from where they were sitting.

The injured eagle came to the recovery center near Kalispell in late February, and quite frankly, the volunteers were happy to see her go.

“She’s a scrappy thing,” rehabilitator Kari Gabriel said. “She put a talon through the vet’s hand. She’s a handful.”

Volunteers are, of course, pleased to see every rehabilitated raptor take flight once again, and Wild Wings Director Beth Watne said she was most concerned that the eagle gain more height than distance after leaving its cage.

“I care that she can get up and protect herself,” Watne said.

The eagle did exactly what it was supposed to do and flew to a nearby tree, where it rested before flying farther. 

The field trip for Mylea Olesen’s second-grade class capped a months-long study of owls, and students got a close-up look at several kinds of owls and other raptors and birds. An abandoned baby Stellar’s jay was a big hit with the students, who named the tiny bird Sky.

“I liked all of them, but Sky was my favorite,” second-grader Savanah Brewer said.

Sidney Lamprong, another student, said she was very interested in the different things the raptors eat. That was after learning it costs Wild Wings $10,000 a year to buy mice to feed the birds used for the center’s educational program.

Second-grader Landon Zarich said the bald eagle definitely was the highlight for him.

The class raised $1,256 for Wild Wings Recovery Center through a number of fundraisers and staged a baby bird shower that allowed the entire student body to donate supplies for the center.

Since the nonprofit center operates entirely on donations, Watne lauded the students for their generous contribution

For more information about Wild Wings, go to http://wildwingsrecovery.org.