Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
This weekend, the 16th Annual International Festival of Owls was held in South Eastern Minnesota in the small town of Houston. The International Festival of Owls is a fundraiser for the International Owl Center and the Center’s biggest event of the year. It is a three-day event held each year the first weekend in March. The festival started in 2003 as a “Hatch Day Party” (birthday party) for Alice the Great Horned Owl who lived at the Houston Nature Center as an education bird. The festival grew in popularity and people from all over the country and world started coming. The festival was run by the Houston Nature Center until 2015 when the International Owl Center took it over. The Owl Center was an outgrowth of the festival. Alice turned 21 this year and is now semi-retired and living at the Owl Center. They have the festival the first weekend in March because that is about the time of year when Alice hatched. We decided to go down on Saturday since it was the day with the most activities going on. You can see a schedule of their event from this year here. Some events going on:
My owl had eaten half a rat and I got the bottom half in my pellet! An owl pellet is not owl poop. They often eat their prey whole, and are unable to digest parts like feathers, fur, and bones. Since they cannot digest those parts, they spit them up in a perfectly packages pellet. You can dissect an owl pellet to find out what they have been eating. There was plenty to do, but enough time so you didn’t feel rushed doing everything. It was also nice to see the whole town of Houston get involved. Barista's Coffee House had owl themed drinks, and Carlson's Roasting Company had owl themed mini donuts! Along with other things throughout town, too. Overall, we had an Owl-some day! It was fun to see the owls, learn some new facts, and participate in the owl-themed activities. Being a nature enthusiast myself, it was fun to see so many others interested and excited about owls.
Since the 2018 festivities wrapped up on Sunday afternoon, mark your calendars for the first weekend in March 2019! It was definitely a fun way to spend our Saturday. For more information about the International Festival of Owls, visit their website: www.festivalofowls.com
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