Museum of Nature having a hoot with new permanent Owl Rendez-vous exhibit

A crowd of 700 people flocked to Ottawa’s Museum of Nature to visit some really neat new guests.

But who were they there to see on a sunny Wednesday?

They were there to revel at the museum’s newest residents: a Great Horned Owl named Max, a Barn Owl named Rucker, a Eurasian Eagle-Owl named Khaleesi, Snowy owls Oberon (male) and Luna (female) and a Bald Eagle named Juno.

Wednesday was the kick-off to the newest exhibit at the museum called Owl Rendez-vous, where visitors can visit and learn about the birds of prey on the museum’s outdoor terrace in specially built enclosures.

It’s a year-round event put on in partnership with Little Ray’s Nature Centre, which the museum plans to have as a permanent exhibit for at least three years (but possibly five).

It was a sold-out opening day — in fact, it’ll be a sold out event for the rest of the week until Sunday.

“We’re really big on nature advocacy and getting people inspired with nature and one of the best ways to do that is to foster up-close interactions,” Dan Levin, head of design, said. “Live exhibits are a great way for people to come face-to-face with nature — especially with owls who are rarely seen.”

When visitors arrive on the terrace, they’ll see the 24m long, 3m high enclosure built for the birds. Each of the five enclosures is 4m deep and is specially designed for each bird for every season and includes a roof covering and well-thought-out placements of bush and branches.

Each bird — or raptor, as they're also referred to — has a story and cannot be released into the wild, like Juno who was rescued after sustaining an injury on the prairies. Having lost one-third of her wing, she can no longer fly well enough to hunt.

The Barn Owl, an endangered species in Ontario, was bred at Little Ray’s in Ottawa.

“It’s our first outdoor exhibit and first with an avian species,” Stuart Barnes, live animal caretaker, said. “Based on our other live shows we’ve done, we know that they’re popular with the public. By giving them this owl exhibit, we’re giving them a whole new experience they might not have had before.”

Raptor birds have special feathers that allow for silent flight, and grip with razor-sharp talons. The grip strength of a Great Horned Owl’s talons, for example, is about four times that of a human.

Owls also have an acute sense of hearing, with which they can locate the sound of the quietest mouse and catch it for a meal.

There are 500 species of raptors around the world — Canada has 16 of them.

Daily care is provided for the birds by museum staff trained by Little Ray’s zookeepers — that includes feeding them a diet of mostly rodents, cleaning their habitats and interacting with them.

Periodic veterinary visits are also part of the routine.

Levin says planning for the event started last year, but the design process for the enclosures started in February. It involved consulting zoos across the country to make sure the enclosures they were creating would be comfortable for each type of owl and the eagle.

Visitors are encouraged to buy their tickets ahead of time on the Museum of Nature’s website.

The museum is opened Wednesday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

Masks are mandatory at all times in the museum’s galleries and other public spaces, including the outdoor owls exhibit.

Physical distancing of 2m between household bubbles is required.

Quick owl facts

• Owls are also an ancient group bird group; their oldest fossils date back to the time just after the dinosaurs.
• A group of owls is called a parliament, as the creatures were considered symbol of wisdom.
• Owls are widespread, with native species on every continent except Antarctica.