News Ideas
When a new owl book or movie is released (Harry Potter, Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Hoot, etc.)
This an important time to stress that owls do not make good pets. Most kids naturally love owls, and having them brought to the forefront through an owl book or movie release always results in an increase in people wanting owls for pets. The Owl Stuff website gets an unbelievable number of hits from people searching on "buy pet owl," "where can I get an owl," "owls as pets," and other related searches.
Alice is a perfect example of why owls don't make good pets. Not only is it illegal for people in the United States to have a native owl species for a pet, there are a lot of good reasons behind the law. See the Want an Owl for a Pet? page at owlstuff.com for more information.
May-June
This is the time of year when young owls fledge, or leave the nest. Owls nearly always leave the nest before they can fly, and their bodies are still fuzzy at this stage (although they have fully developed wing feathers and short tail feathers.) Many people who come across a fledgling owl assume something is wrong and pick it up to get help for it. Inadvertently these perfectly healthy owlets are made into orphans by these kind-hearted people. Fledglings will spend a few days to a couple of weeks (depending on the species) on the ground, in low branches, or climbing back up into trees (they can climb trees!) before they can fly well. Mom and Dad are usually close by watching to make sure they are fed and cared for during this time. Go to the Found an Owl that Needs Help? page at owlstuff.com for more information.
Late February/early March
This is owl festival time! The Houston Nature Center hosts North America's only all-owl, full-weekend event: the International Festival of Owls. Cape Coral, Florida also holds a one-day Burrowing Owl Festival at this time. The Festival of Owls began as a celebration of Alice the Great Horned Owl's hatch-day and sort of got out of hand from there. In 2006 people flew in from Texas, California, and Virginia for this event. Cape Coral's celebration came about as a way to educate the local residents about the Burrowing Owls with which they share their city. Click on the above links for more information.
For more information contact Karla Kinstler at:
Houston Nature Center Home:
215 W Plum St 19268 Perkins Valley Dr
PO Box 667 Houston, MN 55943
Houston, MN 55943 507-896-3436
507-896-HOOT (4668) karlaowl@acegroup.cc
507-896-5668 (FAX) Sorry, no cell phone!
nature@acegroup.cc