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Barn Owl Release

Well, the big day of the young barn Owl's release finally arrived. We were supposed to release him yesterday, but I had to postpone it so I could drive over to Cartersville to pick an American Kestrel that didn't look both ways before crossing the road.

The Barn owl's progress in captivity went well and I spent close to a hundred dollars on live mice upon which the little wildling could practice. It's simply amazing how much food they can pack away. I read somewhere that one Barn owl can kill more mice in one night than 12 cats. I don't know how accurate that statistic is, but they are so proficient that, unlike other raptors in this area, they clutch year-round. I must say, my pocketbook was not sad to see him go!

Many thanks go to the Good Samaritans. Without their compassion and their willingness to go out of their way to seek help for raptors, I wouldn't have a job.

As I was returning home from the release, I saw an old barn that was being torn down. Upon closer inspection, you can see the whitewash of the owls that once called his barn home. This is why Barn owls are disappearing. Their homes are bring torn down as fast as their open pasture habitat is being converted into subdivisions. It's very sad, but as long as people breed and spread, there is nothing to be done except watch them go by the wayside, along with countless other creatures in our lifetime. Just damn.

Barn Owl Rescue

This time of year, normally one would be awaiting a fat guy in a red suit to be coming down the chimney, but not today! Santa arrived on this beauteous Sunday afternoon disguised as a young Barn owl. Our day didn't start out very well but it had a happy ending. A big HawkTalk "thanks" goes out to Good Samaritan Marlin Tallant of Dawsonville, Ga and his sister Diane Goldwire of LaGrange, Ga. for caring enough about young barn owls being "stuck" in the non-working chimney of their parent's old, vacant home place on 40 acres, just a stone's throw from the Hwy. 400 Outlet Mall.

A steel plate had replaced the fireplace damper years ago, which provided the perfect roost site for the pair of adult Barn owls, but turned out to be not such a smart place to set up housekeeping. After Marlin placed a steel plate atop the chimney to prevent the babes from prematurely fledging, we came downstairs and went to work prying loose the plate where the damper used to be. From the amount of debris, it looked like the pair had called this home for some time. (Being an avid gardener, I was thinking it looked like fabulous compost, aside from the stink, of course). Unfortunately, when we pried up the plate, two dead nestlings were recovered. We were all pretty sad about it because the older of the two babes had not been dead for very long, as rigor had not yet set in. Although both were very thin, we could have helped the older of the two if we could have reached him sooner.

I said my goodbye's and went on my way. Marlin called me about 30 minutes later from the roof of the house and said, "Guess what? I'm looking down the flue at some beady eyes staring back at me!" So, I told him to replace the cap, and I returned to the farmhouse. They had already replaced the steel platform above the hearth so when that was removed, Marlin went back to the top, slid the cover over enough to lower a large unplugged light from a rope to force the occupant down rather than up. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper when he came down the chimney, but was none the worse for wear!

Thank you everyone, for your continued support and I hope everyone has, dare I say, a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thank You!

As most of you are aware, Mo, my companion and business partner of nine years crossed the bridge into Summerland in August of 2003. Amidst the shock and grieving, my initial response was to commit him to the ground, but in the fullness of time it dawned on me, why not retain him as a teacher? In life, he touched so many people so why not allow him to continue the mission? He was favored by many because of his sweet face and benign countenance. After all, in the wild Barred owls eat frogs and lizards for a living, so how cranky do they really NEED to be? Mo was certainly the most vocal of all my "kids" and responded to my voice with all manner of hoots and monkey calls. It was a common practice of having to set his crate out into the school's hallway because he was so talkative. "Time Out", I called it... Every time he would hoot, the children would laugh which prompted him to hoot, so you can imagine how stirred up everyone would become. He was a funny bird that possessed an incredible personality. He had soul. You could look into those soft, brown eyes and see the soul looking back at you. I still grieve. Can you tell?

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond's glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle Autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there. I did not die.