Tryon Creek Owl Fest

Hazel the Spotted Owl.

Hard at work on the owl pellet.

We went to Tryon Creek to check out their Owl Fest.  Whew!  It was popular.  When we arrived, about 4:15, we found parking all but nonexistent and guided hikes booked until 6PM, when there were just two spots left!  The Audubon Society of Portland was there with their educational owls, a great horned owl and a spotted owl.

One of the mouse skulls in the pellet.

Jasper has never before been very enthusiastic about owl pellet dissection, but this time he was utterly fascinated.  The verdict was that his particular coughed-up owl meal remains was from two hapless mice.  If you missed this event, and would love to dissect your own owl pellet, they can be found in abundance under the trees where owls habitually roost.  But handling them is ill advised; they tend to seethe with parasites.  I have been told that attempting a DIY owl pellet heat sterilization in a home oven is a great way to make your house completely uninhabitable!  So your best bet is to rely on professional owl pellet collectors and buy one.  (Okay, how many of you are thinking that "owl pellet collector" would be an interesting career? If so, check out this website where they say they are always looking for them!)

Showing a real owl skull.

By the time our hike hour had arrived, it was growing dark.  Volunteers showed everyone an amazing owl skull, to demonstrate that their ears are asymmetrical for better ecolocation, and a pair of oranges, to show how big human eyes would be if they were proportionate to owl eyes.  They showed us the sound a real gull wing makes when swished through the air, and the complete silence when an owl wing is swished (their feathers have special fringe for silent flight).  They had earlier had a scope set up to allow for up close views of nesting great horned owls.  But we arrived too late.  Instead, we were treated to some real magic. The woods were echoing with their hoots, and we glimpsed them overhead calling to each other as they began their nocturnal hunt.  Most public lands are off limits after dark, except on special occasions such as this.  So unless you have access to private land that is wooded, you most likely will never hear this music without programs like this.

Besides which, you meet the nicest families at Owl Fest!