Admiring the 'real' birds of prey

The tiny Eastern screech owl, perched contentedly on ornithologist Mark Spreyer's arm, didn't seem to notice the oohs and aahs from children participating in a live owl program Saturday at Volo Bog State Natural Area in Ingleside.

"I liked the little owl the best," said Joseph Longley, 7.

The tiny raptor also was the favorite of Joseph's sister, Maddie, 5. They also saw a barn owl and a great horned owl.

"We're here because we wanted to learn more about how to spot owls," said the children's uncle, Doug Hull, of Ingleside.

Spreyer, director of Stillman Nature Center in Barrington, entertained about 100 people with tales of owls, as well as three live birds he brought in.

The birds had all been injured, and Spreyer has nursed them back to health. His admiration for owls over other birds of prey was obvious.

"Hawks are sissy birds. Owls are the real birds of prey," Spreyer said. "When all the sissy birds are in Florida getting a tan, the great horned owl is laying its eggs."

By getting a head start on hatching their young, owls have an advantage over other animals, Spreyer said. By laying eggs in February, their young hatch in March. By May, the young have matured into ravenous teenagers.

"In May when other animals are just having kids, the offspring of rabbits and mice become owl McNuggets," he said.

Spreyer's presentation was both funny and informative, said Mundelein resident William Blake, who brought his son Dillon, 7.

"An owl had babies in our back yard last year, and we wanted to learn more about them," Blake said.

Natural resource coordinator Stacy Iwanicki demonstrated how she can mimic sounds made by the birds.

"I just listened to owls and tapes and taught myself the sounds by using different parts of the mouth," she said.

Spreyer also explained how owls differ from other birds of prey. An owl's eyes look forward, and each eye sees the same object from two different angles. An owl has three-dimensional perception, similar to humans', which makes it easier to pinpoint prey.

Also, most birds grip prey using three toes in front and one behind. Owls can move the outside toe of each foot forward or backward, and can grip with two toes in front and two toes in back. An owl also can turn its head 270 degrees.