“I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.”
- Harry Emerson Fosdick
Northern Saw-Whet Owl
photo courtesy of Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory
I am a volunteer for the Northern Saw-Whet Owl project with the Ned Smith Center for Art & Nature.
Tonight is my first night and I am so excited to learn more about them and see their beauty up-close. Saw-whet owls are the smallest of Pennsylvania's owls and are considered to be shy and very secretive. Each fall the owls will migrate south from Canada to Pennsylvania. But, tracking and banding the birds will give researchers a much better picture of where these birds will breed and what their habitats and fedding patterns are. You can follow more of this fall's migration and research at this blog.
Native Americans believe that owls are the messengers of secrets. The Egyptians believed owls guided spirits on their wings from the earth to the afterlife. And, the owl has long been a symbol for wisdom. I have always been fascinated with owls... maybe because of the mysteriousness of them. Their haunting calls to their mate echo through the woods on winter nights. They are seldom seen in daylight. And, they have an almost human quality to their eyes.
Check back for owl updates!
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