|
GREAT
GREY OWL
Strix nebulosa
CONNECTICUT STATUS: Seen in captivity.
HABITAT: Remote areas of dense, forbidding boreal forests and muskeg. Distributed throughout northern Europe, northern Asia, and extreme northern North America and subarctic Canada.
FOOD: Small rodents, birds and occasionally frogs, lemmings. Based on appearance, the Great Grey looks like the largest species of owl in the world. Outward appearance is deceiving, however. This owl is actually smaller than the Snowy or Great Horned if you could strip away the feathers and fluff. The Great Grey is ideally suited to life where deep, drifting snows and unrelenting subzero winds make survival all but impossible for other creatures. The Great Grey is sometimes referred to as the "ghost of the north woods."
BENTLEY
Great Grey Owl
Bentley joined Wind Over Wings in the summer of 2001. He originally came to Katherine McKeever's owl foundation in Canada in 1986 when he was already an adult. Bentley was evidently intentionally shot. He is a true survivor, because he lived through this experience, but has no hearing or eyesight on his right side. Katherine McKeever transferred Bentley to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) where he remained for a few years. When VINS added two more Great Grey Owls to Bentley's aviary, the other two paired up, leaving Bentley alone. VINS contacted Wind Over Wings and transferred Bentley here forever. We are pleased to have this magnificent survivor with us. He is an inspiration. Because Bentley is now in his early 30's, he has retired from educational programs, but is on display at Wind Over Wings.
The Board of Directors of Wind Over Wings wish to thank Acorn Computing for this web site and
Ken Mulcahy for ongoing updates.
Wind Over Wings
22 Old Road
Clinton, CT 06413
(860) 669-4004
E-mail: windoverwings@comcast.net