Eastern Screech Owl

This miniature owl with a fierce visage is the rufous morph of Eastern woodlands. This little fellow rests securely on the gauntlet of a wildlife rehabilitator.

After colliding with a moving vehicle, he suffered brain injury and hasn’t recovered sufficiently to be released into the wild. But he now receives more attention as a celebrity for child and adult wildlife education. More often heard than seen he trills and whinnys to render the night more mysterious, even ominous.

Should one hear a badger call,
And then an ullot (owl) cry,
Make thy peace with God, good soul,
For shortly thou shalt die.
From David Naitby (circa 1800)

Next Post: The Kindness of Rehabbers

About Roger Gosden

A British/ Canadian/ American scientist specializing in reproduction & embryology whose career spanned from Cambridge to Cornell's Weill Medical College in NYC. Married to Lucinda Veeck, the embryologist for the first successful IVF team in America. They retired to Virginia, where he became a master naturalist and writer affiliated with William & Mary. He also writes on Substack at What’s Hot in Fertility? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Gosden

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