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Not to mention hes Far from His Family! What Rotten Holliday for him Strange area No Home....
Don't worry, dont cry. The owl didn't imprint, and owls don't have families nor associate with each other in the winter, and there is no such thing as holidays for any kinds of animals. Holidays are a human religious invention. Since the owl could not care less about that sort of thing you shouldn't get anxious about it either.
Um, not quite. Many owl species nest very early in spring, so they're starting courtship activities in winter...
You're probably right about that for some owl species. For northern saw-whet owls (i.e. Rocky) the courtship and breeding season starts between March and May but they're loners in winter. However, I know that it's not uncommon for barn owls to start courtships in late winter and their owlets from the previous spring are sometimes known to remain semi-social with their siblings for a few months after fledging, right into winter.
And .... both saw-whet owls and barn owls can get quite social with humans and like to hang around human habitations. On Hornby Island up the coast a bit there is a very tiny sub-species of northern saw-whet owls that are around the same size as the tiny elf owls of the southwest states (the elf owls are considered the smallest species of owl in North America). The wee little Hornby Island saw-whets are surprisingly social and friendly with the people and livestock animals on the island. I think it's because they don't know any other kind of life and nobody bothers them. They are the cutest little creatures, and very curious and comfortable around human activities. Some of them will nest in the nesting boxes that are nailed up near front doors or windows under porch roofs. The owls hover and catch insects that are attracted to the porch lights at night. Also they are known to hunt beside tide pools and along shorelines for small marine life for food. Not your average owls.
Better yet a FAKE tree they can Reuse & Save Tax Payers Money!
FFS...
The total cost of the display (tree, transportation, lights) would be about $75,000, but a third of that is the estimated value of the tree itself, which is always donated. Presumably, the sources (it's different each year) consider the free publicity more than adequate compensation. The real estate company that owns Rockefeller Center pays for the remaining costs. Again, it's a drop in the bucket and great media on their behalf.
But, regardless of all that, even if the taxpayers of the city of New York had to foot the bill... so what? $75k split among more than 8.3 million residents of New York comes to less than one cent per capita. Is it really than onerous to fork out less than one cent to have something nice? Is it really?
I can't watch news coverage about these massive trees killed for big city holiday spectacles. Such an incredible mini-ecosystem and long life cut short for a couple of weeks of entertainment...just no. I don't care if it is a tradition. At least they aren't cutting them during most species' nesting seasons. Except for some owls of course. Like most kids I felt our family Christmas tree was pretty but once I was old enough to understand what was involved I couldn't enjoy them. The worst is seeing the reject trees left on lots on Dec 25th. Try not to drive anywhere to avoid seeing them. Yeah, I know, I know, they're recyclable.
I think you are being kind of silly. Christmas trees for sale are grown on tree farms and harvested like any other crop...it’s like feeling sorry for eating corn on the cob. The few big trees that are taken for Rockefeller Center, etc. are volunteered by people who have a tree that has outgrown its place.
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Strange area No Home....
