a hootin’ & a prowlin’ – Owl prowl at Tenafly Nature Center
January 10th, 2016 by Mr. C
(hark! whoo goes there? – Pfister’s Pond at the Nature Center)
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Tonight we attended a really fun & very informative session about Owls at the Tenafly Nature Center. Who? Yes, you read it right – Owls – a nocturnal bird of prey that can swivel its head about 270 degrees & back. The event was called the Owl Prowl which was lead by an environmental educator who gave us an introduction to these raptors including a visit from a live owl. Afterwards, our group with about 15 people ventured outside the park in the pitch dark in search of these nocturnal feathered friends. Walking out in the complete darkness was equally a serene and peaceful occassion as well as a very creepy one especially after a day of torrential rains & gusting winds! If my imagination wasn’t getting the best of me, I could of swore we were being setup to get slaughtered in the woods. But no, Kathleen – our environmental educator led us out to see if we can hear the calls of various owls including the screeching & the grey horned variety. Kathleen played recordings from her phone of owl calls to see if this would stir up response from the beautiful creatures in hopes of getting a glimpse of one or at least to get a hoot back. Unfortunately, our big foot presence and the loud planes flying overhead probably scared off these birds of prey. We eventually headed back to the Nature center to meet a gorgeous barred owl that lives at the premises. He was a rehabilitating bird that was found in 2013 in Pennsylvania after a vehicle struck him. The Owl was nursed back to health and has been living at the reserve ever since.
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(Enthusiastic Environmental Educator – Kathleen and the Barred Owl)
If you live nearby Northern NJ, we recommend that you stop by the Tenafly Nature Center for a nice casual walk on one of their beautiful trails, go bird watching, sit on a bench & just observe and appreciate what nature has to offer – just enriching lives through nature is what they say! The Nature Center also has a lot of fun programming and events for the whole family. Educate yourself! See you there!
Tenafly Nature Center
313 Hudson Ave.
Tenafly, NJ 07670
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(Kathleen showing us a preserved owl wing)
(Preserved Talons from an Owl)
(Replica skeleton head of an Owl)
(Kathleen demonstrates head movement on an owl puppet)
(star of the show – live barred Owl at the Tenafly Nature Center)
(Owls spit out pellets – fur & bones from prey that they can’t digest)
(Aviary at Nature Center)
(Red tailed Hawk at Tenafly Nature Center)
Tags: nature, new jersey, NJ nature, owl, owl prowl, owls, tenafly nature center
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