One of Ravensbeard star attraction at presentations is our very own adult male Northern Saw-whet Owl, the smallest owl in North America. Standing 5-inches tall and weighing just over a couple of ounces, it looks like a toy owl with big yellow eyes with that unwavering stare. The owl’s name is Spike he is a perfect stand in for Rocky when Ellen tells the tale of the owl found trapped in the Rockefeller Christmas Tree.
Spike came to us a year and a half ago. He flew into the side of a car at around 10 pm at night. The person driving the car behind stopped, picked him up and put him in a jacket. Spike was brought to Ravensbeard and was taken to the vet. He had a right-wing fracture in his shoulder joint and all the vet could do was wrap it and let it heal. After 3 weeks, the wound healed as well as it could without any drooping, but Spike could not be released back into the wild in that condition.
Ellen started working with him as an educational bird. Spike was a natural, staying on the glove because saw-whet owls often sit still in “freeze mode” on a branch blending in with the tree in the wild and avoid drawing the attention of alarm birds like Blue Jays.
As the name that was given to him suggests, do not let the small size fool you. Not that he is ferocious, but he will stand up for himself. He will let you know if he does not want you reaching into his cage. Ellen equates him to having the demeanor and attitude of a Chihuahua and calls him a curmudgeon (in a loving way).
In his most recent outing at an in-store storytime event at Barnes & Noble, Spike captivated 30 people who attended while Ellen told the story of Rocky, the Christmas Owl.