Ohio Bird Sanctuary pays fun visit to Killbuck Elementary

There was a bird sighting in Killbuck Elementary recently, and it was all for the benefit of the fourth-grade students.

Abby Bramlage of the Ohio Bird Sanctuary in Mansfield paid a visit to the fourth-grade students at Killbuck Elementary on Thursday, May 16 and brought with her a trio of feathery friend, much to the delight of the kids.

Joining Bramlage for the presentation were Maverick, a red-tail hawk; Grace, an American kestrel; and Soren, a barn owl.

All three birds are nonreleasable because of a variety of injuries each suffered, but all three have learned to travel well and have become great ambassadors for the sanctuary.

All three also are birds of prey, featuring sharp talons and expert hunting skills, so while the students couldn’t handle the birds, they could see them up close and get a view of how each survives in the wild.

“One of the things we hope to convey to the kids is to teach them about birds of prey that live right here in Ohio that maybe they don’t realize live in their own backyard,” Bramlage said. “This way they can learn a little bit about them and maybe recognize them when they do see them.”

The reactions the students had as Bramlage brought each bird out on a leash, perched upon her large leather glove, showed how inspired the kids were to see these feathery friends.

“It’s always neat to see and hear the kids’ reactions, although I always tell them before bringing the birds out that they need to remain calm and keep their hands down and limit their motions to make the birds feel more comfortable,” Bramlage said. “Still, it’s exciting to see their reactions because of their excitement level.”

The Ohio Bird Sanctuary is a living museum that provides families and school groups with a place to visit, hike and bird watch. There are plenty of educational opportunities and places for families to rest and enjoy a full day of exploring birds and nature on the 90-acre outdoor sanctuary.

Bramlage began her career at the sanctuary as a volunteer in high school and eventually went to college and earned a degree in environmental education.

She has been with the bird sanctuary ever since.

“I’ve been here a long time, and it is a fascinating place,” Bramlage said. “And while we invite everyone to come and visit, it is nice to get out into different communities and schools and bring some of the birds to them.”

Fourth-grade science teacher Molly Ellsworth said her students went through a bird and nature unit earlier this year, and this day they simply tied all of that together in a year-end celebration that provided insight and fun for the kids.

“We had the availability to bring the Ohio Bird Sanctuary program in and didn’t want to pass it up,” Ellsworth said. “We talked earlier this year about ecosystems and adaptations, and the birds fit perfectly into that.”

Students were eager to ask questions and had plenty of inquiries for Bramlage, who said while many old barns are disappearing from the landscape in the U.S., Holmes County is an excellent home for barn owls because it continues to provide plenty of barns for the barn owl to live in.

She said Ohio Bird Sanctuary is very busy this time of the year hosting field trips for groups, but they try to get out into different schools to do outreach at least once a week.

“We encourage all families to visit us because we have so many different awesome attractions and birds to see that we can’t take with us on the road,” Bramlage said.

For more information on Ohio Bird Sanctuary, visit www.ohiobirdsanctuary.com or visit it at 3774 Orweiler Road in Mansfield.