Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society now boasts one of the largest flight pens in Alberta

A recently-upgraded outbuilding in the Calgary area will soon help recovering eagles, owls and other hunting birds to test their wings before returning to the skies of southern Alberta. 

The Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society now boasts a new flight pen, which the group says is one of the largest in the province. 

"I think it turned out better than expected," said Beki Hunt, the organization's executive director. 

Located on the group's campus on the northwest edge of the city, the flight pen looks like a large wooden farm building. 

But inside is an oasis for raptors and other hunting birds, with a flowing stream and a pool that will be stocked with native fish. 

The habitat will allow recovering birds to practice flying and hunting before being set back into the wild, speeding up the recuperation process. 

"This has a huge impact on us being able to properly exercise and rehabilitate animals before they can go out," said Melanie Whalen, the organization's director of wildlife care. 

"It gives us enough space for those larger species to assess flight."

The flight pen's first user was a heron, which was found roughly two months ago in Kananaskis Country with fishing line wrapped against one of its wings.

While the bird's wing has since been treated and healed, the long-necked hunter has been recuperating in the pen for about two weeks.

"It's been flying beautifully," Whalen said. 

The heron is set to be released this week. 

The structure that became the flight pen had been on the group's property for years. However, the inside was not equipped to house birds, as the exposed rafters provided a high ledge on which the birds could sit, making it very difficult for staff to remove them from the pen.

A grant of roughly $40,000 from the Calgary Foundation helped the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society upgrade the building, adding the mesh wire to block the rafters and installing the running stream and pool. 

The building is set to be fully completed next summer. 

Other aquatic mammals, such as beavers, muskrat and otters, can also be housed in the flight pen, where they can utilize the pool and stream.

Whalen said the birds and aquatic animals won't be in the same place in the flight pen at the same time. However, she said the building has some separate rooms that can be used to rehabilitate birds or other animals.