Meet internationally renowned owl experts and experience tracking an owl with
radio telemetry at the International Festival of Owls March 7-9 in Houston, MN.
It is the only full-weekend, all-owl festival in North America and strives to
bring research and education together into one event.
Dr. Heimo Mikkola, a retired United Nations diplomat from Finland, has traveled
to over 125 countries, studying owls on the side throughout his career. He has
more than 150 publications to his name, but the best known are his books “Owls
of Europe” and the recently published “Owls of the World: A Photographic
Guide.”
Dr. Motti Charter, who is doing postdoctoral work at the University of Haifa,
oversees Israel’s Barn Owl nest box project that uses owls and kestrels as
natural rodent control for farmers. Transcending Middle Eastern politics, he
also works with the associated Barn Owl projects in Jordan and Palestine.
The Festival’s Birding and Natural History Bus Trip will not only include the
birds and natural history of the area, but this year will include a telemetry
demonstration tracking a young Great Horned Owl released as part of the
International Owl Center’s breeding project to study the vocalizations of the
species. The trip concludes with lunch an authentic German restaurant in
Houston.
The Festival includes owl activities for everyone from young children to
serious adults over the course of the weekend. For most events you can just
purchase an admission button at the door, but the banquet featuring Dr.
Mikkola’s presentation and the Birding and Natural History Bus Trip require
pre-registration, and space is limited.
About 1,800 people from around the USA attended the Festival in 2013.
For more information or to get registered, go to www.FestivalOfOwls.com.
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Minnesota Ornithologists' Union
[email protected]
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