ONTARIO — With their skills to woo, owls are lovable creatures that surely capture people’s attention.
The Ohio Bird Sanctuary displayed four different owl species at its 8th annual Love is in the Air event on Saturday. About 250 people gathered to see the owls up close, and many other activities provided entertainment throughout the day.
A Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl and a Barn Owl were on display in the Taylor Education Center from 1 to 3 p.m. Families traveled from as far as Cincinnati and Dayton to take part in the fun. Children of all ages enjoyed owl calling and cookie decorating contests as well as crafts.
Jill Wilging attended the event with her daughter, Molly; grandson Alex (5) and granddaughter Joie Simmering (9). They especially enjoyed viewing Barkley, a Barred Owl.
“We love the Ohio Bird Sanctuary, and Joie and Alex love the owls,” Wilging said.
Wilging is a donor and also provides food for OBS through her business Wilging Meats. When Wilging and her daughter were walking one day, they found an injured American Goldfinch and brought it to OBS to be rehabilitated.
While most injured birds are rehabilitated and released back into the wild, OBS houses 30 different species of native song birds and raptors that do not make a full recovery.
Owl trivia and education stations rounded out the event. Visitors learned about owl pellets and specialized feathers that allow owls silently swoop after their prey. OBS staff also corrected the myth that owls are intelligent creatures. Owls have large heads and large eyes, but their brains are very small. Luckily, they have good hearing allowing them to effectively hunt prey.
Guests learned about different owls calls. In addition to hooting, owls chip, screech, bark, scream, whistle, growl and shriek. Children and teenagers mimicked the calls during a contest. Some of the calls were so accurate, the owls perked up and peered at the children.
The event attracted regular attendees and members, but Founder and Executive Director Gail Laux estimates that half of the crowd were visiting OBS for the first time.
“We are tickled pink about the attendance and number of new visitors,” Laux said.
Laux and her team of staff and volunteers host a public event every other month, and some visitors come back each time. Each event has an educational goal, and OBS runs camps and programming throughout the year. Guests could also explore the four miles of trails that wind through the 90-acre preserve and view breeding birds and migratory species this afternoon.
“Our larger mission is to create encounters for people to connect with nature,” Laux said.
During the event, interns Emily Smith and Madison Lotz handled the Barn Owl and Eastern Screech-Owl respectively. Both study Environmental Biology at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University.
“I grew up attending the Ohio Bird Sanctuary with my grandpa,” Smith said. “I fell in love with it.”
Lotz just began her internship last month.
“I am enjoying helping with events and getting handling experience,” she said.
Karen Strickler attended with her two young grandchildren.
“We enjoy visiting the Ohio Bird Sanctuary and feeding the birds,” she said.
She even brought her preschool class to OBS a few years ago for a field trip.
Youth Program Coordinator Julie Schwartz took the lead in planning Love is in the Air, and said she was pleased with how many families attended.
“We want to continue to expand our programming to get people to enjoy events as a family,” Schwartz said.
The public can feed and view birds on display in the Ohio Bird Sanctuary’s three main buildings Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information about planning a visit or donating to the Ohio Bird Sanctuary, visit www.ohiobirdsanctuary.com.
