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Eyes On Owls Presentation

Memorial Field – September 30, 2021 @ 6:00 PM

The New Ipswich Library in conjunction with the Stearns Burton Lecture Committee presented Eyes On Owls, a wildlife program featuring wild owls.

Marcia and Mark Wilson founded Eyes On  Owls in 1994 as a educational enterprise. They bring live owls to schools and other groups. The owls they care for are permanently disabled and cannot survive in the wild. Most are victims of collisions with vehicles. Mark and Marcia provide them with a safe, low stress home with plenty of mice. Since some can’t fly, ramps are provided to the aviaries.

This is a long term commitment for the Wilsons. A Great Horned Owl can live from 15 to 25 years in captivity. Marcia has spent much of her life with owls and is an excellent mimic. She imitated most of their calls in the presentation. Mark is a wildlife photojournalist and author.

Screech Owls

Marcia started the program by presenting a pair of Screech Owls. I have no idea why they have that name, after listening to their calls online, my opinion is that they sound more like tree toads. They are very cute.

Northern Saw-Whet Owl

The Saw-Whet Owl only weighs about 3 ounces. We learned that they can be found in New Ipswich, but rarely seen because they hide in dense thickets.  They are preyed upon by larger owls and raptors.

Barred Owl

I recognized the Barred Owl when it was shown to the group because I had one in my backyard in 2019. It perched on a tree branch and swooped down to get a squirrel (sadly it missed). It is an interesting bird and unique because its eyes were dark instead of yellow.

Great Horned Owl

The Great Horned Owl is an impressive bird, with eyes among the largest of terrestrial vertebrates. It is what comes to mind when I think of an owl, with a stern expression and distinctive ear tufts.

Snowy Owl

Anyone who has seen the Harry Potter movies knows what a Snowy Owl looks like. However the bird that Marcia was holding was not Hedwig.