This past weekend, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge held it’s anticipated owl day, an annual event purposed to help raise awareness about owls through the public with a variety of activities and special presentations.
By nature, owls aren’t commonly seen by most of us as many species are primarily active and only hunt during the night. This event gave the public an up-close and personal look at several species of owls, thanks to a couple of organizations’ live owl presentations geared towards enlightening the public and nurturing an appreciation for nature through this most intimate opportunity to view and learn about owls.
It was estimated over 720 people attended the event, reportedly a new refuge record for all of its annual events.
Activities such as owl pellet dissection, arts and crafts, a movie, a puppet show and, of course, live owl presentations not only gave attendees something to do but connected the fun with an opportunity to learn about owls.
Great Horned Owl
For me personally, the star of the show was the great horned owl brought by the Ogden Nature Center. I have great horned owls in my yard pretty regularly (I have one in my backyard trees today, in fact.) but I have never been so close to such an amazing bird as I was at this event.
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So big and so powerful, the great horned owl embodies everything I love about nature.
Western Screech Owl
I will admit, I have never seen a western screech owl before this event. I had no idea they were of such a small stature.
Short-eared Owl
One of my favorite owls to watch and photograph is the short-eared owl.
Burrowing Owl
The burrowing owl is my most commonly seen and photographed owl. This is one species of owl people can find and observe during daylight hours.
Activities
Refuge staffer, Kathi Stopher, entertained and educated many young event-goers with a puppet show geared around owls. Getting the youth interested in nature is a big piece of the puzzle if we are to keep protecting and preserving nature for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
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One of the most educational and hands-on activities was the owl pellet dissection. This is where attendees learned about what animals owls eat, such as rodents and voles. Owls regurgitate undigestable parts of their prey in the form of a pellet and this gives scientists an open window to what these birds are currently preying on.
Arts and crafts were also a part of the day. Kids were able to let their imagination and artistic abilities come out as they worked on crafts and artwork about owls.
Live Owl Presentations
Of course, the main draw of the show was the live owls. Two nature organizations, Hawkwatch International and the Ogden Nature Center brought several live owls to enlighten all of us as well as help educate the public about owls and their roles in nature.
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