Who's That Bird?

One of the cool things about working in Outreach at Penn State is that I'm part of the unit that houses Shaver's Creek Environmental Center. Shaver's Creek has some wonderful outdoor facilities, as well as a famous Raptor Center. All of the birds that are kept there have ended up there due to injuries of one kind or another that render them unsuitable for release back into the wild.

It was afternoon, and I was at work. There was an event going on downstairs, and I heard someone mention that there was a large bird in the lobby. So down I went with my camera! It turns out that the bird was actually rather small: a short-eared owl, Asio flammeus.

According to the Raptor Center's Web site, this bird has a wing span of 36 to 42 inches, and a weight of around 15 oz. This particular bird experienced permanent wing damage in 2011 and was taken to a local wildlife rescue; from there, he ended up in the Raptor Center, and he is now part of their educational and outreach efforts.

Owls are very striking birds, and I've seldom seen one up close. Those big golden eyes are mesmerizing. The little bird, perched on a handler's arm, kept looking all around. What a little charmer.

I went back to my office and downloaded the photos, and looked up information about short-eared owls. Now, I would have expected that all owls make the Whoo-Whoo sound that we typically associate with owls. However, some owls do not make that sound. While this little owl makes a series of barks, calls, and chitters, it does not actually hoot. And so I learned something new on this day!

The song to accompany this photo is the Who, with one of their signature tunes, Who Are You. The link I'm including is to their performance of this and several other songs at the Concert for New York City in October 2001. Who Are You is the first song; also included are Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, and Won't Get Fooled Again. It was one of John Entwistle's final appearances with the band.

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