Nature Done Wright

    Owls are nocturnal, secretive, and beautiful, so when I get a chance to see a couple of them up-close, I pounce.

   On Friday night, the Tenafly Nature Center hosted an owl prowl that featured two live rehab owls, the barred owl above, as well as a screech owl named Windy.

   Debora Davidson of the TNC showed off the barred owl, a stunning creature and one of the few owl species to have dark eyes (barn owls also come to mind). 

   Mike Krug of the Weis Ecology Center in Ringwood was on hand to show Windy the screech owl, a beautiful red-phased raptor.

   Mike also did a Power Point presentation on owls, going through the eight species found in New Jersey and their calls.

   After the presentation, most of the attendees went on an owl prowl. Because of time constraints, I had to forgo that, but it sure looked like it would be fun for those who dressed warmly and had shoes with very good treads to handle the slightly slippery trails.

   By the way, both the screech and the barred owl seemed to be model citizens, though Debora did mention the barred owl had bad breath. I did not want to know why the screech was called Windy.

   Tomorrow: A few links to learn more about owls, Tenafly Nature Center and Weis Ecology Center. And (if I hit the right key strokes), I’ll try to do a very short video of the barred owl.  I will also try to post more information about upcoming owl prowls at Weis.