From our Education Director, Rachel :
There is some mystery about owls that draws us in. Perhaps it is the idea of them flying by night, holding court while we slumber. It may be their large, bright, forward facing eyes that we find alluring. After all, the “science of cute” tells us that big forward facing eyes draw us humans in. As someone who cannot help but coo at our ambassador Eastern screech owl, Tilly, each time I open her box to find her blinking and wobbling herself awake, I truly understand the allure of a very cute predator.
Despite having the incredible opportunity to see and work directly with our resident owl ambassadors each day, there is something to a wild owl sighting that captures my heart and makes my adrenaline take off. The first wild owl I remember spotting was unfortunately one in need of assistance. It was Thanksgiving morning and my father and I were walking on a trail that cuts between a farming field and forest. An odd noise brought our attention upwards. High in a tree, entangled in vines, was a great horned owl. After retrieving the ladder and tools necessary to free the healthy but stuck owl, I watched my father climb a ladder and cut away at the vines that entrapped the owl, eventually succeeding in freeing it. We watched as the bird flew swiftly away. The bird was free and we had quite the story to tell at that year’s Thanksgiving gathering
It was some years later that I spotted the next great horned owl in the wild. I had packed my willing, bird enthusiast parents into the car to head up north past Port Jervis on a yearly search for bald eagles. Our eagle watch was fruitful as we spotted eagles of all ages over wintering near open water. I was thrilled that I could share this experience with my family as I have always found these eagle watching excursions magical. Driving away from the last spotting location of the day, I peered through the woods, searching for more eagles. Instead, I saw a great horned owl swoop down and perch on a low branch. It flushed out a few smaller birds that I was too shocked to identify. That owl sat on the branch stoically, blending in with its background but still visible to those of us that watched it fly in. Certainly, the many eagles we spotted that day made the trip worth it but I will never forget the sight of the great horned owl flying unexpectedly into view.
While I traveled quite far to experience that sighting, my next great horned owl encounter was much closer to home…right here at Flat Rock Brook. Every now and again, we have resident raptors visit our ambassadors. Perhaps they are looking for a mate (like one red tail that seemed to visit Ramona, our female red tailed hawk) or perhaps they noticed that some birds are simply given their food and don’t have to work for it so they are waiting in line for a room to open up at the inn. Ok, I know that is anthropomorphism but it is fun to think about, right? In this case, we had a wild great horned owl hooting in the evenings and early mornings in the quarry where our aviary is located. Attempts to record the owl with audio or trail cameras never seemed to work. Finally, I grew tired of hearing tales of other people hearing this owl and opted to sit in near the aviary until I saw the wild visitor.
A few evenings later and I was given the most awe-inspiring owl sighting yet. I had been standing in the cold parking lot for some time when I saw a substantial bird fly directly over my head into the quarry. It was a great horned owl (sex undetermined) that perched in a tree and made a variety of calls that I had never heard before. True, it made the usual hoots here and there but the symphony of other noises fascinated me. I sat in awe and attempted to film the bird from afar as it chattered, shrieked and hooted. Eventually, I left to go home and let the owl continue on with its life un-watched and in secret, maintaining some of the mystery that owls produce.
My most recent owl sighting came just last weekend when I insisted on taking the trip I talk about every winter. A trip to find a snowy owl during the one time of year we have any hope of spotting one. There was at least one snowy owl spending its winter on Jones Beach this winter and I wanted to see it. Using eBird, I found the general location of the owl and prepared my non-birder husband for an adventure, counting myself lucky that he was so willing to sit in the car for an hour to trod along the beach with no guarantee of a sighting. An hour of seemingly directionless beach walking, one lost glove and excessive stalking of other birders to see where their scopes were pointed (answer: in every which direction) later, I took a look through my binoculars to scan the dunes ahead of me. There she(?) was— a stunning snowy owl, sitting on top of a dune, resting for the afternoon in preparation for an evening hunt. It wasn’t long before a hoard of other birders noticed her and descended with their impressive scopes and cameras. I sat feeling uneasy that the bird’s space was being encroached upon by admirers. The celebrity status grew too much and the owl gracefully took off, flying low among the dunes until she found a more suitable dune on which to perch. We walked in that direction and joined the other birders on a nearby walking path near the snowy owl. I could barely believe my eyes, this stunning animal just 15 yards ahead of me sat and observed its admirers. My non-birding husband, despite having limited interest in the pursuit of birds, was thrilled and managed to take the all-too-dreaded-by-birders photo through my binoculars. A true amateur, I carry just my binoculars and do not have a camera or scope that I use for birding. Luckily when the husband is in-tow, he manages to use the limited tools to take unbelievable photos.
Every day, I admire the ambassadors that I care for here at Flat Rock Brook. There is something unbelievable, however, about spotting their wild counterparts. For me, it is owl sightings that leave me shaken, knowing that I was fortunate enough to lay eyes on an animal famous for its mystery.
Check out more about the snowy owl! Remember, if you want to search for owls or have the opportunity to spot them it is important to admire from a distance. It is a magical experience for us to see these birds but that does not give us permission to disturb or stress these beautiful creatures.
