Who Knew?

 If you take a look at the treats we enjoyed at an open house on Sunday you just might be able to figure out why we travelled to Houston. Houston, Minnesota that is. Pinterest would be proud of these endeavors especially the realistic foiled wrapped pellet. More about that a bit later...

In fact people journey to Houston from all over the world to visit this establishment.

Anyone have a clue?



This open house with free admission, these owl themed refreshments and informational sessions were all at the International Owl Center. Yep, right on main street in Houston, Minnesota.


We had time to peruse the gift shop and exhibits. I kept thinking about buddy Rachel who loves anything owl oriented. 









Owl art done by  young student visitors donned one large wall alongside the year's photography entries. 

The talk was informative as to the owls's habitat, size, eye and beak color, ear tufts, general shape and bird calls.

L to R: Long eared Owl, Great Horned Owl, Screech Owl, Saw Whet, Barred Owl. Barn Owl

Four live owls live at the center and ended up there either as a result of accidents/research. 

Alice , a Great Horned Owl, Bubo virinianus, fell out of her nest as a chick in 1997 and permanently injured her left wing.

Rupert           Ruby

Two Great Horned Owl siblings live here too as they were hatched in captivity as part of a vocal study.

 And there's Timber, a Barred Owl. Timber's siblings met their demise after a chainsaw in 2012 cut down the tree where they were nesting. His siblings were decapitated but he just got scalped and survived, later injuring a wing. What a story, eh?

Did you realize - owls take cat naps although they are considered nocturnal? Ear tufts are feathers and their ears are located lower on the sides of their heads? Owls also don't have teeth so dinner is swallowed whole and since bones and fur can't be digested the owl must regurgitate these remains (called a pellet).  Remember the aluminum foil treat that looks like a turd, pretty realistic, huh? At the center the owls feast on gophers.


If you look closely you can see a fine comblike feathering along the outer owl's wings feathering. This aerodynamic feature allows the owl to swoop down quietly upon its prey. Cool.


Owls are starting to change territories and interbreed and researchists are trying to figure out why. Some regions actually no longer have owl populations. Is it deforestation, mining/ pesticides affecting food sources? 

The Owl International Center is doing good work to educate and share their research with others. It was an interesting outing for any age. You should come visit and help support the owls.

Here's a youtube video of how different the vocalizations are for different species of owls.  Who knew? 
Take a listen: Owl Calls

* Special thanks to Kathy for posting this event on FB. See another positive for social media! 

For more info: Int'l Owl Center