Four live rescued owls were released into the wild on Saturday morning in a unique celebration of Halloween.
A couple dozen people gathered at Utah Lake State Park to watch the four barn owls take flight together. One of the owls was rescued after being found soaked in oil. Three others were siblings found together.
Highlights of the event included seeing and hearing the owls scream, and then watching as the four birds took flight together, soaring to eventually alight in the huge trees bordering Provo River.
Patti Richards, director of the Springville rehabilitation center, told those gathered that she hoped the owls would scream for them, since it was Halloween. The first owl was silent as it was removed from a large animal carrier and put into the hands of a lucky audience member, chosen to participate in the release. The second owl was also silent, but the third put on a show, making a sharp hissing scream for a couple minutes, its mouth opening surprisingly wide.
"These are the only birds of prey that can swallow a mouse whole," said Richards. "See how big its mouth is?"
Reed Stone, 88, was the lucky member of the public chosen to help with the release. Stone is also one of the founders of the local bird-watchers group.
"This was a great experience," he said. "As far as birding goes, this is just about the top."
April and Lee Kirk of Provo brought their three children, ages 2,6 and 8 to the event. The kids got to take photos with Moonshine, a four-year-old rescued barn owl who is licensed to Richards as an education bird.
"I learned that owls can't turn their heads all the way around," said 8-year-old Shalauna Kirk. "And they can swallow mice whole."
Richards told the crowd that in the wild, barn owls suffer when they overwinter and often only live to be two or three years old, but in captivity they live to be 16 years old. They will eat several mice a day, and thousands over a lifetime.
All four of the barn owls released on Saturday were first rescued by the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah, based in Ogden, and sent to the Great Basin Wildlife Rehabilitation in Springville over the past month, where long flight pens are available to test the birds to prove they can survive in the wild. Both rescue groups are nonprofit organizations that rely on donations to survive.
For information about Great Basin Wildlife Rehabilitation, or to donate, visit GreatBasinWildlife.org.
