Students at Sacred Heart Elementary School had the experience of a lifetime this month when several students got to visit and interact with two live falcons during a presentation held in the school’s library.
The presentation took place on March 15 and came about as a one-time-only opportunity.
“One of my teachers, her father is Mr. Gillies (and) he was from the Saskatchewan Falconry Association,” explained Terry Marak, the principal at Sacred Heart Elementary School.
“He came in and did a presentation to our Grades 3 - 4 and 4 - 5 classrooms on falcons.”
Marak said the presentation matched up nicely with several of the school’s curriculum outcomes, and even though it wasn’t originally planned as part of the students’ lessons, the chance visit happened at just the right time and place.
Nairn Gillies brought in two live female falcons and discussed their natural habitat, some interesting facts on the birds of prey, and he explained to the students that these birds are now endangered and shared what that means for the species.
Sacred Heart’s students were quite thrilled to have the opportunity to see the falcons in person but were even more thrilled after learning that they could handle the birds as well.
The highlight of the presentation was when Mr. Gillies lent students a specialized falconry glove to prevent their hands and arms from being scratched and several students got to experience what it’s like to have a live falcon perched on their forearm.
Following this, each student had the opportunity to have their picture taken with the birds as something to take home as a keepsake to mark the occasion.
Mrs. Buchanan teaches at Sacred Heart School and said her husband has been working with the Saskatchewan Falconry Association for around 30 years now. Part of his work includes monitoring the birds’ breeding habits in order to help save the endangered North American species.
Although the visit was a one-time event, Marak said he’s open to the idea of inviting Mr. Gillies back for future visits after seeing the positive feedback expressed by the students who attended the presentation.
“This was a great experience for kids to be able to see (this presentation) and have him come in and explain all about the falcons,” Marak said. “That was truly a great experience – something that the kids will remember for a long time.
“Now they’ll be on the lookout for falcons, hopefully when they see them out in the wild,” Marak added as a nod to the hopeful success of the work done by Mr. Gillies and other conservation workers throughout North America.
To learn more about the work done by the Saskatchewan Falconry Association, visit SaskFalconryAssociation.com.
