Alex Worm Receives Gift From Owl
Posted on April 7, 2007
Filed Under General |
Alex Worm of Conway recently made quite an unusual find in a very unusual place!
Alex’s brother Derek, had been driving in a field near their house when he noticed a baby Barred owl on the ground, obviously fresh out of the nest as he was unable to fly. (The Barred owl is more commonly known as the “hoot owl” in these here parts!) Perhaps you’ve heard one before? (Click the following for sound)
Hootowl
Alex grabbed his camera and decided to take a closer look and some pictures. He found that the little fellow wasn’t in any mood for company, so after a few pictures they parted ways. After spying what he thought to be the owls nest in a nearby tree, Alex started scanning the ground below for owl pellets. I have to admit I’d never heard of “owl pellets” before, so I learned something new.
After finding a few pellets, he decided to take them to his aunt’s house in a nearby neighborhood to show them the pellets and check out the contents. It’s apparently common to find the bones of mice and other small animals inside, (which in it’s own strange way can be pretty interesting)! As he opened one of the pellets up, they were shocked to find something shiny inside? Upon further inspection, it turned out to be the leg bone of a bird with a tracking band still around the bone! (SEE PICS) The band was very small, and it’s not known what kind of bird it was, but Alex was able to retrieve the 800 number off the band and called in his remarkable find. The lady on the other end explained that she didn’t know what species of bird it was either, but that they would send him a certificate, recognizing the find.
So it turned out to be some kind of exciting day for Alex! Duck hunters occasionally shoot ducks that are banded, but how often does someone find a tracking band in owl vomit?!?!
Congratulations on an incredible find Alex! I’ll try to do a follow-up later when you receive your certificate.
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2 Responses to “Alex Worm Receives Gift From Owl”
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I am Alex’s art teacher at CHSE, if this is one and the same. I’m not surprised he would take an interest in this. He’s a great beginning artist and pays attention to details. Has an amazing memory for music titles and artists from several decades. Is a great conversationalist because of his varied interests. There is one failure he had concerning this hoot owl event . . . - he didn’t tell ME!
Hi Vivian…Yes, I’m sure this is the same Alex we’re talking about! He definitely has all the qualities you mentioned! He’s a good kid that always has something interesting to discuss. I need to change the link to the pictures or put them inside the post so they will be more visible. Thanks for your comment!
Chris