Owl Prowls begin another season at Macphail Woods

The wonderful world of owls will be on display again at the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project starting this week.

The Macphail Homestead in Orwell will host the Owl Prowls today, as well as April 20, 22 and 28.

The Sir Andrew Macphail Foundation will open up the Great Room of the Homestead at 6:30 p.m. and serve light refreshments. Visitors can warm themselves by the fireplace and enjoy the historic beauty that surrounds them.

There will be no charge, but donations to the foundation will be accepted.

The slideshow and talk on owls start at 7:30 p.m at the Nature Centre to give participants an opportunity to learn about these rarely seen birds.

The talk starts with slides and recorded calls of common and uncommon owls that can be seen on Prince Edward Island. There are also mounted displays of some of these birds as well as educational material on owls and their habits.

From the tiny saw whet to the large great horned, owls have long been birds of mythology and misinformation. The workshop will separate fact from fiction, with an outdoor walk following the slideshow presentation.

Participants can take the guided walk around the woods and try calling in owls. Make sure to bring clothes suitable to weather conditions. Visitors are advised to arrive early.

The homestead also asks members of the public to only attend one of these workshops, as our space is limited.

For more information on this or upcoming tours and workshops, contact Gary Schneider at 902-651-2575, visit the website www.macphailwoods.org, or find the Macphail Homestead on Facebook.