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Friday
Jul262013

defrosted brown mice and ladders

credit: Lorri GongIt's the little things, I guess.

This afternoon after work, just a few steps out the door of my office, a former Mammalogy and Herpetology classmate will be showing me how to feed owls.

YES, this makes my heart sing.

And yes, it also involves defrosted brown mice and ladders. Only the ladders part of that sentence gives me a little pause. 

Defrosted brown mice? No probs.

On the instruction sheet I was sent, preparatory to this training-feeding this afternoon, is a reminder to remove any metal tags that might be on the mice. And in case I should opt, should I accept this mission, to offer the owls the delectable treat of a gopher in future, 

"You have to cut the legs off and cut the teeth out and make sure there are no bone fragments left."

Oh my!

I am counting down the hours until I meet mt friend Lorri, a volunteer with the Hungry Owl Project, over by the Butterfly Cottage, trying not to obsess about how high I'll have to climb.  My only previous experience feeding owls, while volunteering at WildCare, was purely terrestrial, both feet on the terra firma of the special ward where the baby barn owls were kept. At least this assignment doesn't involve snipping mice with scissors. 

But yes, obsessing a bit about the owl cam, from which I can spy the creature I'll be visiting and feeding this afternoon, and for many afternoons to come if all goes well.

Wish me luck up that ladder, mice in hand!

XX 

 

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