Live owl show provides up-close look at elusive raptors

Owl fans flocked to the Harwich Community Center last weekend for the rare opportunity to see these riveting raptors up close.

An eastern screech owl was a polite and inquisitive guest at the “Eyes on Owls” program. Photo by Gerry Beetham

Renowned naturalists and educators Marcia and Mark Wilson presented two live owl programs, hosted by Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT). The shows marked the 19th year that the Wilsons have partnered with HCT to bring their “Eyes on Owls” program to Cape Cod audiences. The Cape Cod Chronicle has been an annual sponsor ever since the owls first touched down in town back in 2006.

Marcia Wilson kicked things off with her strikingly accurate version of a great horned owl call. “We’re going to introduce you to some of your neighbors,” she said.

Mark Wilson, a retired Boston Globe photographer, thanked HCT for preserving land that includes owl habitat, then presented an awe-inspiring slideshow of his owl photography.

“You probably think you have to go out at night to see an owl,” said Mark Wilson. “Night is a great time to hear one, but it’s a terrible time to see one, because we don’t see anything at night too well, except for the stars and the moon.”

He suggested looking for owls during the day and provided tips on how to differentiate them from other birds, including a big head size, eyes on the front of the face and an upright posture. Owls also have excellent eyesight and hearing.

Big talons and powerful feet

And, of course, they have to eat. “Owls make their living with their feet,” said Mark Wilson. “That’s how they catch their food. They have big talons and powerful muscular feet.”

A great horned owl was certainly photo-worthy for the audience. 

If you were a mouse or vole, you might never hear an owl coming. “When they’re hunting, they’re flying silently,” said Wilson. The leading edge of their primary feathers has serrations that help quiet the air as it moves across the wing of an owl on the prowl.

About eight to ten hours after an owl eats, it coughs up a pellet containing bones, fur or feathers from the meal. Finding pellets on the ground, or seeing “whitewash” (owl poop) on a tree are good indicators that owls might be close by.

Then it was time to meet the owls. Marcia Wilson introduced the audience to a succession of feathered wonders, walking down the aisles so folks had a chance to take a gander at these remarkable predators.

Each owl has a permanent disability, which prevents release into the wild. The Wilsons are permitted by state and federal agencies to tour with the owls.

Marcia Wilson holds an impressive Eurasian eagle-owl that weighs in at 10 pounds. 

The hooting stars included an Eastern screech owl, a barred owl, a great horned owl (which can all be found on Cape Cod), and then a huge Eurasian eagle-owl, weighing in at 10 pounds! 

The crowd gasped at the size of the eagle-owl as Marcia Wilson removed it from a large box. “She has big feet, with big talons,” said Mark Wilson. “They can take down a European badger, they can take down a dog, a big snake, a lot of big prey.”

It was a fitting finale to an inspiring and informative show. The appreciative audience gave a big hand to the Wilsons, and one sentiment seemed clear: owls are awesome!

Gallery photos below by Gerry Beetham

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