Beth Benjamin Watne worked gently and quietly, with a laser-like focus, as she prepared to release a rehabilitated bald eagle back into the wild.

In the early sunlight of a warm June morning, the eagle didn’t hesitate as it exited its cage and flew to a nearby tree. The regal bird did exactly what Watne had hoped for, reaching enough height to take shelter in the trees.

“I care that she can get up and protect herself,” Watne said. In this case, flying high trumped flying far.

There’s a hint of apprehension that accompanies the release of an injured bird or animal that has been made whole again through the caring efforts of the staff at Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center. It was an unforgiving environment that brought them to the center in the first place, and it’s into that unforgiving environment they’re released.

Sometimes the rehabilitated birds hang around awhile at Watne’s 100-acre sanctuary, a secluded, wooded area east of Kalispell bordered by the Flathead River and Shaw Slough.

“It’s great habitat that’s safe,” she said.

Watne has been helping injured wildlife in Montana since the early 1980s. At the time she was a young mother and had a busy career as a physician’s assistant that eventually spanned 33 years.

In 1982 she founded Wildlife Return, an earlier rehabilitation organization that allowed her to care for injured or orphaned animals ranging from grizzly bears to song birds.

Watne turned over the recovery operation to Lynn Vaught of Whitefish as she retired about 10 years ago.

When Vaught moved out of the area two years ago, Watne, who is married to former Flathead County Commissioner Bob Watne, came out of retirement to found the nonprofit Wild Wings Recovery Center, an all-volunteer effort.

In addition to rehabilitating injured wildlife, the center’s other mission is public education.

“Birds that can’t be released stay with us as part of the education program,” Watne said.

Wild Wings currently has 10 education birds that are used in a variety of programs for schools and public venues.

School children typically are thrilled to watch demonstrations of the education birds. Bentley, one of the center’s two great horned owls, is always a hit with the kids.

The center operates with a state permit through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as well as two permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the rehabilitation and education components.

Kari Gabriel, assistant director of Wild Wings, said the center receives more than 100 injured birds annually, including all species of raptors, waterfowl, waxwings, woodpeckers, robins and other small birds, plus small mammals.

“The single most common injury we see with raptors, and owls in particular, are collisions with cars and buildings,” said Gabriel, whose experience in wildlife rehab began in 1992 at the Alaska Raptor Center. “Sometimes they are so focused on going after their prey that they realize too late that there is a building or a vehicle in their path. They can’t stop on a dime, unfortunately.”

Most collide with cars while feeding on the side of the road, she said.

Wild Wings’ service area stretches from the Canadian border to Ronan, and from the Continental Divide to the Idaho border. Work is ongoing to expand the facility.

“Bob’s been building like crazy,” Watne said of her retired husband’s efforts to help out. He built the large bird building, the feeding building and has modified all of the other buildings in the last year.

Operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization means fundraising is always at the forefront.

It costs $10,000 per year just to feed the 10 education birds, Gabriel pointed out.

“Our current birds consume at least 25 mice per day, at a cost of $1 per mouse,” she said. “Our peregrine falcon requires quail and chicken ... Each quail costs $4 and we spend at least $750 per year on quail.”

Wild Wings volunteers often chip in their own money on needed supplies.

Donations come in many forms; LHC brought in a load of pea gravel and Fish, Wildlife and Parks offered up some building materials that enabled Wild Wings to put up a new education raptor housing facility before last winter set in.

“Without this kind of help we could not have gotten this much-needed building finished,” Watne said.

Anyone interested in donating money or supplies can contact Gabriel at 24907800 or kgabriel1963@gmail.com, or Watne at 250-1070 or bearden1947@yahoo.com.

More information is available online at wildwingsrecovery.org.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.