Beautiful owls captivated students during the second of our Animal Encounters sessions after school on Thursday. Gary from The Cumberland Birds of Prey Centre introduced three remarkable birds: Ester, an African spotted eagle owl; Alan, a barn owl; and Gizmo, a morepork owl (also known as the boobook owl).
Students not only had the thrilling opportunity to hold the birds and watch Alan the barn owl demonstrate his silent flight, but they also discovered some fascinating “feathery facts.” For instance, nocturnal owls (active at night) have black eyes, while diurnal owls (active during the day) have orange eyes.
They also learned that the familiar “twit twoo” call of the tawny owl is actually a duet — the female makes the sharp “ke-wick” (twit) sound, while the male responds with a “hoo-hoo” (twoo).
Year 7 student Freddy said: “I loved seeing the barn owl fly. It was so quiet when it flew — you couldn’t hear it at all.”
Fellow Year 7 student Anya added: “I liked getting to hold the owls. Ester [the eagle owl] looked right at me with her big eyes.”
