The Lab: Meeting a New Feathered Neighbor

Every night on the property you can hear two owls. One has a deep, slow hoot — a steam engine finally pulling into the station. The other is higher pitched, questioning. We’ve never seen them, but they have pet names anyway: Bert and Ernie.

That’s the preamble... 

Now the sun is setting and 9-year-old Micah runs into the kitchen shouting, “There’s a stuffed animal on the steps, but when you get near it moves!”

We troupe out into the garden and find this young friend:

A concerned call to the Ojai Raptor Center reveals:

1. She (or he) is a juvenile Great Horned Owl
2. It’s not uncommon to find juveniles on the ground. At this age they can climb trees but can’t fly.
3. We should clear the area and she’ll climb back up. And after about 30min that’s exactly what happens.

Bert and Ernie, all that time hooting… we now know what you were really doing! 

P.S. For those non Sesame Street folks out there

What feathered neighbors do you have?