Festival of Owls

Well heck, I may have to go to Houston Nature Center's Festival of Owls after all. I just saw a Press Release that says they've landed Denver Holt the founder and president Owl Research Institute in Charlo, MT as their banquet speaker. That combined with the bacon wrapped turkey is really enticing me. Denver and his work with snowy owls was in National Geographic not too long ago and he has been researching owls and their ecology since 1978, I've been very anxious to meet him and see what he's like. Gotta love a rugged guy spending time on the tundra with North America's heavies owl species.

This event has really come a long way. They've been getting some real quality speakers and events going on. There's an owl calling contest, bird banding, and live bird demos.

I have to admit that I'm kind of perplexed by one of the silent auction items at the festival: going on an airplane ride with Alice (the nature center's education great horned owl) on her first flight--ever. It's been my experience with education birds that motorized vehicles can freak them out. They aren't in control of the travel and don't seem to trust what is going on. Alice is different, she is imprinted to one handler so gets the benefit of being treated more like a pet than an education bird, so maybe there will be a different reaction. I wonder if they will be doing the flight at night or during the day? You don't typically see great horned owls flying up high in daylight, I wonder how they would process those images. Ah well, to each his own, I suppose.