FEAT H E R E D F R I E N D S
It’s time to learn a little more about our high-flying neighbors
32 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM OCTOBER 2017
By Matt Larson
It’s easy to take our amazing world for
granted. The beautiful trees and animals all
seem to have things pretty much figured
out, so why worry about them? They’ll
be fine. Or
will they
… What
we do in
our daily
lives can
have a direct
impact on
the wildlife
around us. We
may never see
the consequences
of our actions,
which is why Jenny
Papka, Director of Native
Bird Connections in Contra
Costa County, is here to
remind us that we’re not alone on
this planet.
Papka is the caretaker for 15
nonreleasable birds of prey who
she partners with for educational
programming. Except for one of them
which is captive bred, all of her birds
have been physically impaired to
the point where they may
seem healthy at first
glance, but still cannot
be safely released back
into the wild. So instead
she brings them out to
festivals, schools, senior
centers, garden clubs and
more—including the
Pinole Garden Club and
Prospect Sierra School
in El Cerrito—to help
educate the public about
the wild world around
them.
“I’m a bridge between
the general public and
wildlife,” said Papka.
“I partner with these
birds and we educate audiences not only
about what they are, but how they have
challenges in their life, and how our
actions influence those challenges.” Before
confirming an appearance, Papka always
makes it very clear that she is not bringing
these birds for entertainment, but for an
educational, informative session, with lots
of Q&A.
She has hawks, eagles, falcons and owls,
including a bald eagle and a golden eagle.
She only takes about three of them with
her per event, as she
wants to leave plenty
of time available for
questions. “I’m not a
person that relays a lot
of facts, it’s more about
the personal aspect of
the life of these animals,”
said Papka. “I encourage
lots of questions. We go
through that with all the
birds we bring. By that
time an hour has flown
by!” Pun intended.
While meeting Papka
and her birds in person is
the best way to dive deep
into the lives of these
majestic animals, there are some things we
can do now, on our own, to help protect
them. One of the biggest ways she suggests
we can make a change is to stop using
poisons in our yard; rat poison especially.
“Rodents are like chocolate—everybody
eats them!” By everybody, she means not
just birds, but coyotes, bobcats, mountain
lions and more. “By making a personal
choice to stop using poison you’re actually
helping a whole host of animals.”
Another amazing thing you can do is
create a welcoming habitat in your yard for
birds to live. Birds like American kestrels,
chickadees, woodpeckers, even bees, need
a cavity to nest. “We don’t often leave old
trees up so there’s a shortage of cavities
out there,” said Papka. “One of the best
cavity nesters around is a barn owl. They’re
nature’s mouse-o-matic! So encouraging
barn owls to live on your property means
you’ve got a double whammy—you’re
helping the barn owl by creating habitat,
and you’re enlisting nature’s natural rodent
patrol right there in your own yard.”
Papka is truly doing us all a service by
sharing the lives of these birds with us,
and feeding, state/federal permits, and
maintenance aren’t cheap. “Income is always
a challenge with nonprofits,” she explains.
Jenny Papka