Eric Kowalczyk

Woodland Park's bird brain

It's the fortunate few who do what they truly love. Woodland Park zookeeper Eric Kowalczyk grew up observing, catching, drawing and reading about critters in Illinois, took as many zoology courses as he could at Washington State University, and turned his hobby into a job in 1978. He's now the Birdman of Phinney Ridge and has applied his expertise to worldwide conservation efforts. We found him in the brick bird barracks, where he has a cubbyhole office crammed with books, journals, monitors and, of course, feathers. Echoing down the hall were the cries of such species as the gray-winged trumpeter, Malay great argus and one his favorites, the brightly-colored hornbills. Taking a can of writhing wax worms, we visit his charges.

Q: Were you always interested in animals?

A: My dad took me on the golf course as a kid. He'd go golfing, and I'd be catching sunfish and frogs and butterflies as the golf balls flew over my head.

Q: How many birds are at the zoo?

A: There are about 9,800 species of birds in the wild. We have 20 species here at the conservation aviary, with 80 individuals, and many more on the zoo grounds. Zoos have a collection plan keyed to which are available, interesting, and so on.

Q: What's your day like?

A: By 7 a.m. I'm tossing insects to the parents to take to their young. By the time the zoo opens at 10 a.m. the animals have had their breakfast and are resting in the shade. I check their health, check their young. In between, I work on our conservation programs.

Q: How smart are birds?

A: Evolution's answer is they're as smart as they need to be.

Q: Some people see zoos as jails.

A: Zoos have much more natural habitat now. We use these birds as ambassadors to draw attention to the need for conservation. And zoos coordinate captive breeding to help sustain species. I recently took two fertile crane eggs to the Pittsburgh Zoo. These eggs will eventually be transferred to a reserve in Russia.

Q: Why the particular interest in tropical hornbills?

A: If you protect hornbills, by default you protect the other animals in their forest. Since 1999 we've had a nest-adoption program in Thailand. Instead of villagers poaching, we pay them to observe the nests and provide data. For $120 a year you can adopt a hornbill nest and get a report on its progress. All the money goes to the villagers, and the fathers pass on the responsibility of guarding the nests to their sons. To adopt, call 206-615-1017.