Visiting "Our" Owl

This afternoon we had the opportunity to visit Leslie Science and Nature Center (LSNC), to learn more about owl adaptations and to visit the little Northern Saw Whet Owl we sponsored. It was a lovely afternoon - I was so thankful that the weather of yesterday had passed!

First things first - meeting "our" owl. Did you know that this owl got its name from the noise a saw makes when it is getting sharpened on a whetting stone? Children learned about the many adaptations of an owl, which makes it such a successful hunter - its ability to see all around, its sense of sound, its silent wings, and its talons. Sarah was a phenomenal teacher and guide.

Speaking of adaptations, the children visited 4 different stations to discover why birds have different types of beaks, and how that can tell us a lot about their diet and lifestyle.

Then we learned a new game, which taught us about the challenges birds have when they are migrating - power lines, big new buildings, fewer and fewer sources of water as their habitats are being eaten up by construction.

Here we all are, with the Northern Saw-Whet and Sarah. She (the owl, not Sarah) is ready to go back to her lovely enclosure. (By the way, all the birds at LSNC are there because they are hurt in some way, or can't make it in the wild. Our little owl has a bad eye, due to an collision with a motor vehicle.)

And there's our name! Right on the cage of our owl, telling the community about our commitment to keeping these gorgeous raptors fed and housed. They have a very good life, thanks in part to the children's hard work at the bake sale in December.