Live Owl Program Wows Kids and Adults

Everyone loves owls! Yet how many of us have ever seen a live owl up close? The audience at the Friends of the Goodnow Library’s recent Sunday program was able to do just that.

The Friends hosted naturalist Marcia Wilson and photographer Mark Wilson, who shared their passion for owls and provided close-up views of these secretive birds of prey. The Wilsons introduced the audience to live owls of New England as well as other parts of the world. (Each owl presented had a permanent disability that prevents them from surviving on their own in the wild.)

Marcia imitated the owls’ calls herself, paying special attention to the more common owls seen in our area. After a hooting lesson and much audience participation, Marcia brought out the live owls one at a time. With each of the owls perched securely on her gloved hand, she walked among the audience with a number of different owls. There was plenty of time for close-up views of the owls, photos, and questions.