A Visit From Gus Ben David
Gus Ben David with two young Eurasian eagle owl owlets.
Gus Ben David with two young Eurasian eagle owl owlets.
Not yet old enough to fly, but still curious about the world.
Not yet old enough to fly, but still curious about the world.
Island naturalist Gus Ben David stopped by the Gazette offices Monday morning with two guests in tow: Eurasian eagle-owlets.
The owlets, a brother and sister, are less than eight weeks old. They are the offspring of a breeding pair of eagle-owls that Mr. Ben David has at his farm. Mr. Ben Davis also had a female eagle-owl, Mohu, that he uses for education.
The owlets are being raised by Mr. Ben David and will eventually live off-Island. The youngsters eat rats and mice, and though small now, grow to be quite large: their mother has a wing span of nearly five feet.
The fluffly owlets were quiet visitors, nibbling gently on fingers and opening their beaks in a panting-type action that Mr. Ben David said regulated their body temperature.
Great Horned Owlet Finds Refuge with Gus Ben David
Owlet is almost three weeks old and is growing quickly.
Owlet is almost three weeks old and is growing quickly.
Great horned owls have two ear-like tufts that grow on the tops of their heads.
Great horned owls have two ear-like tufts that grow on the tops of their heads.
Soon to be a powerful hunter, owlet harmlessly nibbles on fingers.
Soon to be a powerful hunter, owlet harmlessly nibbles on fingers.
From a nest in Milton to the Gazette newsroom.
From a nest in Milton to the Gazette newsroom.
There are about three pairs of great horned owls on the Vineyard today, though a few decades ago there were none.
There are about three pairs of great horned owls on the Vineyard today, though a few decades ago there were none.
Gus Ben David with Eurasian eagle owl.
Gus Ben David with Eurasian eagle owl.
An adult great horned owl.
An adult great horned owl.
Island naturalist Gus Ben David stopped by the Gazette newsroom Thursday with a new friend in tow: a great horned owlet, two-and-a-half weeks old, sitting atop straw in a purple crate.
Mr. Ben David is a well-known as a friend to the Vineyard's animals, especially the feathered variety. The former director of Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and proprietor of the World of Reptiles has raised and rehabilitated bald eagles, baby osprey, and Eurasian eagle owlets, to name a few. His rescued golden eagle Chameli, who is used for education, turned 33 on Thursday. She is too big to visit newsrooms.
His most recent charge, the great horned owlet, fell out of a nest in Milton and made his or her way to Mr. Ben David. (The owlet is likely male, Mr. Ben David said, though he is not sure.)
Great horned owls were once scarce on the Vineyard but there are now three pairs on the Island, Mr. Ben David said. They grow to have wingspans of up to 44 inches and have short ear tufts that create a "cat-like" head shape, according to Sibley's Guide to Birds. Like all owls, the owlet swiveled his head to get a good look at his surroundings. Owls have tubular eyes that can't move much, so they rotate their heads so they can see. Their eyesight is keen and they are formidable hunters.
The owlet is fed 25 mice a day as he is growing, and he will eventually be released to the wild on the Island, Mr. Ben David said. The owl doesn't have a name; Mr. Ben David is not fond of anthropomorphizing animals that he plans to release to the wild. The owlet allows people to stroke his downy feathers and will nibble harmlessly on fingers. The human interaction won't be harmful, the naturalist says.
After the visit Mr. Ben David and the owlet were headed up-Island, to rescue a red-tailed hawk.