A few weeks ago we were thrilled to be treated to having an owl sitting on the post close to our house. A few days later I noticed something under the big pine tree at the side of the house. Assuming it was an item of clothing left behind by the kids I asked them to get it while they were playing. Minutes later they were all rushing in the house, talking over each other. It was not clothing, but a dead owl. The bird was fully intact, it hadn't been attacked by anything as there was no marks or damage. We were in awe of this amazing bird and the opportunity to see it up close. We were also very sad. To have this majestic, powerful bird laying lifeless in our hands.
We happened to be heading to the Muskoka Wildlife Centre a few days later which seemed like a perfect opportunity to talk to someone about the bird. The naturalist at the Centre confirmed our guess that this was a Barred Owl, most likely an old one. She showed us the breast bone and how there was very little meat on this one, indicating that it was most likely sick and undernourished. The bird might have had poor eye sight due to age making it difficult to hunt. It was at the bottom of the tree, making it very likely that it died and fell out. We were shown how to take the feathers out, for keepsakes.
The centre is an educational facility, with a component of travelling around to grounds teaching them about local animals and conservation. After some consulting we decided to leave the bird with them, where they will bury it in their compost heap. Here the bugs will clean off the bones of the bird, leaving them with a fabulous skeleton for teaching. We made arrangements to head back next year to see have the bones look like.
We happened to be heading to the Muskoka Wildlife Centre a few days later which seemed like a perfect opportunity to talk to someone about the bird. The naturalist at the Centre confirmed our guess that this was a Barred Owl, most likely an old one. She showed us the breast bone and how there was very little meat on this one, indicating that it was most likely sick and undernourished. The bird might have had poor eye sight due to age making it difficult to hunt. It was at the bottom of the tree, making it very likely that it died and fell out. We were shown how to take the feathers out, for keepsakes.
The centre is an educational facility, with a component of travelling around to grounds teaching them about local animals and conservation. After some consulting we decided to leave the bird with them, where they will bury it in their compost heap. Here the bugs will clean off the bones of the bird, leaving them with a fabulous skeleton for teaching. We made arrangements to head back next year to see have the bones look like.
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