Bubo Bubo

This is the bird that started it all for me.  Obviously, she’s an eye-catching bird.  Eurasian Eagle Owls are the largest species of owl in the world, and with large bright orange eyes and a huge wingspan, she’s hard to miss, and hard to ignore.  She’s a beautiful bird.

When I met this bird it was a chick: just a giant cotton-ball of grey fluff and orange eyes.  I was riveted.  I knew I had to work with birds.  I had no idea that a bird like this existed in the world, let alone had just hatched in the city I lived in.  I couldn’t believe that the arrival/birth/hatching of this amazing creature didn’t make front page news in this sleepy Southern town.  But I knew, right then and there, that I had to do anything I could to understand what this thing was, and thus started my love of raptors.

So the rest of this story is kind of comical, and to preface it there are two things you should know:

1)      This occurred before I was taught and/or aware of the “no naming rule”

2)      Monty (pictured below with the Eurasian Eagle Owl) is one of the amazing Educators at the Center for Birds of Prey, and one of my favorite people ever.

As I mentioned, the very first time I set foot on The Center for Birds of Prey campus I was with a friend, and I saw the Eurasian Eagle Owl chick.  I also was inundated with information.  I heard names of birds I never knew existed (YBKI), saw birds fly I’d never seen fly before, and I heard the educator’s introduce themselves.  Basically, I had a lot of information to absorb.  So I walked away from my first visit thinking that the Eurasian Eagle Owl chick’s name was Monty.   And to be fair, if one were to name an owl, Monty would be a killer owl-name.  Weeks later I decided to start volunteering there.  But by my first day of volunteering,  the Eurasian Eagle Owl was no longer a chick, and she had an enclosure of her own.  Also, once again, I had a lot of information to take in, and keep in mind that I’m not very good at remembering names.  So even though I heard the name “Monty” being thrown around, I just assumed people were talking a lot about that amazing owl with the bright orange eyes.  And honestly, why wouldn’t they?

Later I was talking to the friend who, months earlier, went with me to see the flight demonstration at The Center for Birds of Prey.  She knew damn well that Monty was a person and not an owl.  I clearly had these facts all muddled together still.

She teasingly asked me, “Did you just love seeing Monty again?”

To which I responded, “Of course, he’s absolutely beautiful.”

She then laughed at me and continued to tease, “You think Monty’s beautiful, huh?  Well he’s certainly big guy.”

I then said, “Yea, I do think he’s beautiful!  At the very least you have to admit he’s got gorgeous eyes.”

Weeks later, I realized that Monty was the guy, the Eurasian Eagle Owl doesn’t have a name and is a female.  When I told Jen that story, she said “Please never tell Monty that.  He’ll get a big head.”  Hopefully Monty Google himself.