Sleeping On The Job

Can you find George? I guess sleeping in the gift store is one way to camouflage himself...

Age: 2 months old
Note: his adult feathers are starting to really grow in. He has "suspenders" coming down his chest!

Memories of summer

Looking through the summer's photos will keep me warm through these tough Canadian winters. Right? RIGHT?

SBOIC was fortunate enough to partner with SaskPower to deliver "Wise Owlets Ecology Camps" for Moose Jaw youth. Kids learned about prairie ecology and conservation, and of course, got to meet some of the critters living at SBOIC.

One of the most popular camp activities was catching grasshoppers in the native prairie beside our Centre. Much to the delight of our owls, some of these grasshoppers would find their way into their enclosures and become a light snack.

Hmmm, what else can I wreck?

In addition to wrecking several houseplants, Shorty once shredded an entire box of tissue paper.

She sat on top of the tissue box, gripped the box in her sharp talons, and methodically pulled out each sheet with her beak. She transferred the tissue from her beak to a foot, and then proceeded to rip the sheet into a thousand little pieces. Once finished, she would pull another sheet out of the box and keep ripping until the box was completely empty.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up and found my bedroom looking like a snowstorm!

As I cleaned up the mess (and what a mess it was!), I wondered if this was nesting behaviour... If so, Shorty had a long way to perfection...

Not interested....

Wait, this tennis ball has eyes.

You want me to throw THAT?

In the wild, growing burrowing owl chicks spend a lot of time outside the nest burrow. They pounce on grasshoppers, play with sticks, and scrabble for food with their siblings. Their antics are fun to watch, but these owlets are actually learning important life skills like flying and hunting.

Sibling Rivalry

Can you find the owl?

If you have brothers or sisters, you’ll understand. My dog's life was turned upside town when she was introduced to two owls. She had to start sharing her things. Even her beds.

Shorty soon learned that the bedroom was the quietest and darkest place to nap during the day.

Short-eared owls often roost (sleep) in tufts of grass in the wild. The grass serves as great camouflage and probably a good break from the wind too. I never considered comfort to be important to wild animals, but I suppose a dog bed is like a bed of soft grass.

Even George thought the dog beds were great.

Well, where did that leave my dog?

I looked up from my computer one day to find my dog sitting in Shorty's carrying crate. All her bed's were being used, so it was time to take matter into her own hands (paws, hehe).

Traffic Stopper

Age: 40 days old
Mood: Grouchy


George decided to nap by the back entrance, so we had to lock the back door to the Interpretive Centre to stop any thorough traffic... just so he wouldn't be disturbed while napping. Talk about star treatment, sheesh...

All we're missing were the traffic cones!

Sssssshhhhhhh, George is sleeping....

Perfect Roost

Flashback: June 19, several weeks old

At least if Shorty poops, the dirty laundry is already in the basket. I call that Win Win.

Get the hint yet?

Flashback: 16 days old

Looking back, I still can't believe how quickly George grew. In this photo, George is peeking out at the rest of the big world.

At 16 days old, he was already too big and too active for his case. He left me scrambling for a box that was neither too small or too big.

Otherwise Known As....

Burrowing owls go by many names: Ground Owl, Coo Coo Owl, Billy Owl, and Prairie Bobber.

My favourite, though, is the "Howdy Owl" and I think this video shows the spirit of this name.

George says....

George says to visit our website! http://www.sboic.ca/



There is lots of information about burrowing owls, our Owls On Tour program, and our Adopt An Owl fundraiser.

WARNING: Not for the faint of heart!

Ever wonder how owls eat mice?

Burrowing owls are quite small compared to their prey, so they rip their mice apart with their sharp beak and talons. Eating it bite by bite, it takes a few minutes to devour a mouse.

A short-eared owl, on the other hand, can wolf down a mouse in seconds. Behold! Shorty lunching on a mouse!

The Stink Eye

Age: 39 days old

This is what people mean by stink eye. No one does it better than owls...

VIP Accommodations

Age: 33 days old

Since George is an ambassador owl, his job is to travel around Saskatchewan helping us teach people about burrowing owl and prairie conservation.

To carry him safely between buildings and vehicles, he has a cool carrying case. With a soft fleece cover, George can often be found snoozing on top (the penthouse) or in front (the patio).

George's vision is still developing, so he often bobs or turns his head for better perception. While owls never grow out of this, they bob a lot more as owlets.

Last note, I swear. This last photo gives a good view of George's jesses (those leather bits on his legs). These soft leather jesses are for when George is "working" because a short leash is clipped into the ends. This prevents him from flying away and injuring himself if he gets spooked. When not working and putzing around the office or his enclosure, George is not leashed.

Modern Art

A slightly older photo of Shorty, where he/she still has some fluff.

Top Heavy

Age: 8 days old flashback

I can't help but flip through old photos of George. And he's only a few months old too, what will I do when he's a year old?

One thing I've noticed is that George was a very top heavy youngster. I think he's either fallen asleep and toppled over. Or he's toppled over and fallen asleep. Hard to tell....

Life is good

Age: 28 days old
Mass: 146 grams

Don't you wish your job included sleeping in a sunbeam?

As a resident ambassador owl, George's job is pretty cushy. His day includes eating some mice, meeting some people, sleeping in sunbeams, and occasionally helping out in our gift store.

Okay, he does a lot more than that. George isn't even a month old and he has already met over 2,500 people! Between attending local festivals, delivering outreach programs, and wowing visitors, George has certainly earned his nap.

Goggly Eyes

Did you know that most birds have three eyelids?

The third eyelid is called a nictitating membrane and it helps protect and moisten the eye. And it's SEE THROUGH! So birds can keep flying, swimming, or even stay on the lookout while blinking. It's like having a built in pair of goggles.

What a cool photo, thanks Laurie!

People to see, places to be

Age: 27 days old
Mass: Too heavy to post.

I've been trying to take video of George running, it's a must see.

Did someone say mouse?

Age: 26 days old
Mass: 139 grams

George's weight gain has finally started to slow down! Down from six feedings a day to three feedings, George is eating about 1.5 mouse (mice?) a day. While George doesn't answer to his name, he comes running when his food bin comes out.