The old Monty Python comedy troupe's catch phrase - "and now for something completely different" - is exactly how I rang in New Year's Eve. It was very different, to be exact.
Not sure quite what to expect - other than knowing we'd be outside for a good amount of time on a frigid evening - I bundled on the clothes and headed over to Houston for the "owl prowl" put on by the Houston Nature Center and its naturalist Karla Kinstler.
What if no one would show up for this unlikely New Year's Eve calling?
I needn't have worried. Karla's excellent reputation as an owl expert preceded her. Around 30 other like-minded, heavily-bundled people showed up. Now just a little bit on the warm side, we sat, hanging on every owl call Karla played on tape. She ran through a program highlighting three types of owls she'd call by playing this tape.
We listened to the saw-whet owl, which is somewhat rare in this area. It makes a distinctive, breathy "beep, beep, beep" call that sounds like the much watered-down alert signal emitted when a truck backs up.
We also heard a screech owl. I was surprised to see how small it is when looking at the stuffed owl collection at the Nature Center. Karla told us they can go crazy when calling and sound like monkeys. (Hence the name, I guess.) Whew! That explains away a few anxious nights out camping, thinking some shrieking zombie was paying a visit.
We also heard the barred owl. It has the common "hooo---hooo---hoo-hoo," or "who-cooks-for-you" call.
Backed with this knowledge, along with the disclaimer that we'd be standing "very still" in the freezing outdoors in the dark - and maybe we'd want to use the restroom before leaving - we headed to our vehicles to carpool to our first site, which was north of town, off Highway 76.
First, yet another word to the wise (wise - owls - get it?). Karla explained that calling owls should be done on very rare occasions, since their responses come when they are extremely irritated at having what appears to be an unknown owl in their territory.
I was second in the line of cars, following Karla, husband Ken and their young one, so to speak. Their third family member is a great horned owl named Alice. She's become a mascot for the Houston Nature Center, as well as being familiar to many in the area through educational programs put on by Karla and Alice.
You know you have serious owl interest when the spare tire cover states "Owl Aboard - Houston Nature Center." Why look, there's a silhouette of Alice.
Our first stop saw a lot of standing, some fidgeting and no responses from owls. Losing a few people, we piled in the cars to move to another spot.
Here, we had luck.
As we stood, all of a sudden there was the eerie "whinny" of a screech owl. It called again and again and again. Later, I would find out that it had flown directly over our heads from a hillside across the road to perch in a tree.
Ken, who had a night vision scope, said it landed a mere 20 ft. or so from us in a tree. Most of us thought it was much farther away, but that was apparently because it was facing - and calling - away from us.
That was fun. As with most things in Mother Nature, there are no guarantees you'll hear an owl no matter how much you wish it were so. That was the only owl we heard outside that night, but it was certainly a time to bond, in our own ways, with the nocturnal animal.
We'd have more opportunities to bond back at the Houston Nature Center. Alice came out for a program that, according to Karla, she really enjoyed since she got to hang out with humans at her favorite time of the day, the evening. Karla promised to call to Alice and get her to hoot, but Alice obliged all on her own a number of times.
Karla shared Alice's history, how she fell out of a dilapidated squirrel's nest and her mother was found shot. Her wing was hurt, so she could not return to the wild. She imprinted herself on humans in those early days. Karla explained, "She thinks she's human."
As Alice kept us entertained with long stares and occasional hoots, Karla talked about life at home with an owl, which often had Ken grinning and shaking his head at some crazy incident.
She also talked about owl research. Karla is becoming something of an expert on the great horned owl and its many previously unknown hoots, since Alice lives with them all the time. Karla records and tracks when different calls are made.
This naturalist has some big dreams for the Houston Nature Center, that some day it also might become a center for owls. The small, yet excellent facility is run by the city of Houston, which is pretty amazing in and of itself. It includes a nice campground right along the Root River Trail. Karla encouraged donations or booking Alice and herself for a school program to help keep it funded.
She also noted the International Festival of Owls will return to the Houston Nature Center from Feb. 29 to March 2. It includes such activities as six species of live owls with an expert, a human banding station, kids' activities and owl-themed food, an owl calling contest for kids, owl-themed merchandise and raffle, an owl photography session, expert speakers and more. Yes, you could have the chance to go on your own owl prowl.
For more information, go to www.festivalofowls.com. There is admission, with some programs such as owl photography having additional fees.
To hear owl calls, including some (actually quite a few) recorded by Karla, go to http://www.owlpages.com/sounds.php
Keep tabs on Karla's life with Alice on this blog, http://www.owlstuff.com/aliceweblog.html
The Houston Nature Center and its programs are found at http://www.houstonmn.com/Nature/nature2.htm
Let's support this unique, wonderful nature center in our area. I look forward to seeing you - and Karla and Alice - at future programs.
Lisa Brainard is the news editor for the Republican-Leader and Chatfield News. She writes for the Phillips Bluff Country Publishing group of newspapers, which also includes the Spring Grove Herald, Bluff Country Reader, News-Record, and Spring Valley Tribune. She can be reached at THIS NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS: lbrainard@bluffcountrynews.com. She also photographs many scenic landscapes in her travels near and far, in addition to taking numerous newspaper photos.
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Article comment by:
Dawn
I just want to say that i enjoy your columns every week and have done some of things you suggest, such as geocaches and P.I.T
Thanks
Dawn
