Ijams Nature Center held a class about owls cutely titled, Owl-ology 101. Matt was a sweetheart and attended it with me, and I had a blast!
We grabbed a photo together before the program began. 🙂
Owl Chex mix anyone?
They had such adorable owl-themed snacks too!
These reminded me of my childhood because on special occasions, I remember my mom would buy cheese balls. I need to make them soon; these were really tasty!
Matt has such a fun, imaginative mind, so he told me to use the vegetables to complete the owl’s body.
A gentleman goes out in search of the owls and takes photos to display and sell at Ijams.
They are stunning. I especially love the fall foliage behind the first photo.
They passed around a group of feathers from other birds as well as owls to demonstrate how unique the owl’s feathers are. They are incredibly quiet in flight, allowing them to be such incredible predators. Above is a board with the legs and talons of a Great horned owl, a Barred owl, a Barn owl, and an Easter Screech owl.
My favorite type of owl, the Barn owl!
Young Saw-whet owls – so adorable!
This beautiful Eastern Screech owl received amazing rehabilitation and care but cannot be released into the wild due to a permanent wing injury. This is actually their full-grown size, which is compared to that of a can of Coke. Average weight is only 6 oz. with a wingspan of 20 inches!
This amazing owl is an albino Barn owl. She was found in the mountains after people heard the crows taunting the poor girl. I learned that albino owls do not live long because both their sight and hearing are impaired, and the stark white makes them easy targets.
She was absolutely stunning. They are trying to slowly get her used to classes, but she was panting out of fear by the end of her visit. I would too if I couldn’t see well and these giant humans were staring at me!
They also let us each dissect an owl pellet. Owls eat their entire prey but then regurgitate feathers, bones, and fur that cannot be digested. Matt and I discovered a rodent was this owls meal one day. It was quite neat!
We went out on an easy hike to try and spot an owl, but with a large group, it didn’t prove easy. Even still, the weather was incredible as was the views.
Once we got back home, I made a lovely chai latte using Cruze Farm’s vanilla milk. Of course I had to enjoy it from my owl mug. 😉
What a wonderful way to spend our Sunday afternoon!
