Tuesday, April 25, 2006

What a Hoot!



We have a new baby at the Wildlife Center. This is Woodsey, a baby Great Horned Owl. Woodsey fell from his nest and was brought to the center for treatment. She will not be released because the poor thing was born almost completly blind. The good news is that she has imprinted on us humans as foster parents, and is happy as a lark.


Woodsey will live a long and healthy life as an ambassador for Ohio wildlife.


My daughter Shelby introduces herself to her new friend.


When Woodsey grows up, she will look like this:

Check out those Talons! Whoa!
I remember the first time I had a Great Horned on the glove. The power of those feet took my breath away.


No bird has as much myth and mystery surrounding it than the owl. Owl is a creature of the night and has been symobolically associated with prophecy and wisdom because it can see what others cannot.

As power animal, Owl encourages you to develop your intuitive abilities and inner senses, and to seek the knowledge that is hidden. Little Woodsey may not see as well as other owls, but Im sure this baby will develop great intuition over time.

Owls fly silently and teaches us to go about our business quietly. They are expert hunters, and rarely miss the prey they target. This teaches us to keep a sharp eye on our goals. Woodseys goal is to be the poster child for her species by educating humans to respect and protect wildlife.

9 comments:

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

I wish I had an owl as a friend.

Kel-Bell said...

Yes, it is a romanitic idea.

But these birds are wild creatures, who want to be free. This baby is a wonderful exception, because it came to us so young. Most of our ambassador animals are adults who are with us because they have chronic injuries that prevent them from being returned to the wild.

Last night, I took an adult Great Horned to a Lions Club dinner and did a speech on Wildlife Conservation. The owl did a great job during the show, but when I drove him back to his aviary it was dark. Owls are nocturnal predators, and this "Tiger of the Night" revealed his true power when the sun went down.

Wihout going into too much detail, I must confess that releasing this formidable raptor in the dark, while I was inside his 10x10 cage, was a hair raising experience!

All went well, thanks to the excellent training of my mentor, but there is no doubt in my mind that with even one small slip of concentration on my part, this owl could have ripped open my juggular vein with the ease and grace of a ballerina doing a piroette.

In the future, I think I will reserve this owl for day jobs! LOL

Kel-Bell said...

P.S.
Liz,

You do have an owl for a friend. It shows in your writing. You see through the dark, with great intuition. A gift you must have been given by Owl.

Trée said...

What a good looking bird. We have owls in the trees behind our house. Their hooting is such a peaceful and relaxing sound. Funny thing is although I hear them all the time, I've never actually laid eyes on one--yet.

Kel-Bell said...

Hey Tree! Haw are ya!

That is very cool, having owls in your back yard.

Try this: Get on the net and surf around for owl sound clips. Find the one that sounds like your owls and either record it or learn to mimic it.

Then go out in your back yard late one evening, settle in and call the owls.

I promise it will be big fun.

Trée said...

I'm doing fine Kel. Thanks for asking and thanks for the advice. I sure would like to see those birds.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Kelley! Katie McKy here. Cool blog! My second novel, which should be released in the spring of '08 (The first will be released in the spring of '07) begins with an owl. That story is based upon a time I found a great horned owl in my front yard. I later learned that it had attacked a skunk and had to be put down. Anyway, the raptor rescue people told me how to capture it, which I did, and that experience affected me so much that a variant of it begins my second novel.

Anonymous said...

Katie McKy again.

P.S. - I've been to Powell many times. A friend once lived there. Cool beans, eh?

Kel-Bell said...

Hi Katie, and welcome!
Hey gang, we have another writer in our midst.

If you send me a link to your web site I will be glad to post it so that we can all check out your work.

Stay in touch Katie, as I am sure we two might have some interesting owl tales to tell...