A crowd of 45 people trooped through the woods Friday evening, following a small group carrying six foam boxes through the Forest Ecology Preserve.
It was what was in those boxes that the crowd, armed with flashlights, binoculars and cameras, wanted to see.
The Auburn University Southeast Raptor Center released six eastern screech owls into the wild Friday evening.
The owls had all been injured in some way, and some had been recuperating at the Raptor Center for as long as six months, technician Liz Crandall said, addressing the crowd before the release.
“We rehabilitate 200 to 300 birds a year,” Crandall said. “These come from all over the Southeast.”
After treatment, many of the birds are released back into the wild.
At each stop in the woods, a Raptor Center volunteer withdrew a tiny red owl. With a little encouragement, the owl swooped off to cries of delight and applause from the crowd.
Most of the screech owls glided off into the woods to find new homes. One perched in a nearby tree to pose for pictures.
Dale Dickens, director of student services with the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, said each time the center organizes a release, people’s reactions are worth watching.
“I would describe it as awe,” Dickens said. “The kids get a thrill out of watching them fly and the way they fly with such low light.”
Karen and Guy Beckwith came to the event because of their interest in wildlife.
“I read about places where they released animals back into the wild,” Karen Beckwith said. “When I found out about it happening in our own back yard, I thought, ‘We must do this.’ It’s a unique experience.”
kstallcup@oanow.com | 737-2574
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