By Alisha Brewer
Jace hopped out of the car and started up the walkway to Acacia elementary school. He said hi to some friends that he passed and waved good morning to the principal who was greeting students as they walked through the gates. Yep, this was going to be a normal Friday, or so he thought. “As soon as I turned the corner, I saw caution tape all over! I thought someone had been murdered!” This scene caused pause for many students as they gathered around and tried to figure out what was going on. Luckily, CSI had not visited their school. Instead, the Acacia staff had rallied to protect a family of great horned owls.
Great horned owls do not construct their own nests. Instead, they find an abandoned nest, here in Tucson typically made by a hawk, and utilize it to raise their young. This particular pair of great horned owls decided their perfect nest was right in the middle of Acacia elementary school with classrooms and walkways on all four sides of their tree. Staff and students noticed the nesting pair and excitement and curiosity grew with every glance they could get.
Vickie Goff, Acacia’s reading specialist, explained, “The first year that they nested they had three chicks! It’s interesting to watch the mom and dad take turns watching the nest and bringing food. The kids wanted to walk by the tree to watch.” Jace gushed as he explained, “I got to see one of the babies! It was really cute and really feathery.” Eleanor, another student at Acacia said, “Every time we walked to music or to the bathroom, we got to watch the owls!” Vickie added that, “They grow really fast!”
But, with growth comes the ability to move and explore. Great horned owl chicks begin to explore other branches of their tree around 5-6 weeks old. They will begin to fledge (test their wings) around 7 weeks old. Their little flutters can take them to other areas within their tree, but they can also learn the power of gravity resulting in a firsthand view of life on the ground. Should chicks fall to the ground, both parents will continue to take care of them. But, with hundreds of students moving about, the staff knew this could be a stressful time for the family.
Acacia’s staff decided it would be best to secure the area and give the owl family the space they needed while allowing students to observe from a safe distance. Eleanor said, “I’m glad they put up the caution tape. It kept kids away from the tree and from disturbing them.” The staff’s actions paired with their communication to the students and the student’s respect of the owl’s space resulted in the successful departure of three healthy chicks!
Owl pairs are typically monogamous. Acacia’s pair returned the following year to their same nest right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. But this time surprise awaited the Acacia staff and disaster awaited the owl family.
When Acacia’s owl pair returned, Vickie remembered thinking, “How cool is this?” The staff kept a close eye on the nest and an eye out for any chicks. “It’s interesting how they hatch at different rates,” Vickie said. “At first we just saw one. Then, ‘no..no…there’s two!’ Then it was, ‘oh there’s four!” Students and staff were ecstatic! But then, the unthinkable happened.
Vickie remembers a big wind burst, “It blew the nest apart,” she said. In the blink of an eye the owl family had lost their home. The four chicks found themselves on the ground. But, as luck would have it, the four chicks were big enough to be out of the nest. Acacia staff placed a box near the base of the tree to give the youngsters a place to hide while they found their wings. The experienced parents cared for their young on the ground under the watchful eyes of Acacia staff. And once again a successful departure of, this time four, new great horned owls.
The effort that Acacia’s students and staff put forth to make sure that their owl family was comfortable and successful is the perfect example of how Vail residents can peacefully coexist with our native wildlife. Acacia’s owl pair will be on the hunt for a new nest to take over. But the experience that the students and staff had watching the owls grew their appreciation and awareness of their feathery friends. Jace ended with, “It’s definitely a treat having an owl family at your school. It really is pretty awesome.”
Picture caption for both pics: Photo taken by Vickie Goff, reading specialist at Acacia Elementary.
Alisha Brewer is a veteran zoo keeper of nearly 15 years. U of A alum. Boy mom, veggie dog connoisseur, anti Oxford comma and eternal optimist. Alisha hopes to connect residents to the incredible creatures that surround us.
