In the financial department of Metro Vancouver is the paperwork on an order for owl puke or more precisely the pellets they regurgitate daily.
After all, it wouldn’t be an Owl Hoot-enanny without the owl pellets which Metro Vancouver Regional Parks purchases from a farmer in Abbotsford who has barns and lots of owls living in them.
People attending the Owl Hoot-enanny on Saturday in Campbell Valley Regional Park were invited to dismantle the pellets which consist of the bones and fur of small animals that are the owls food source.
Owls don’t digest the fur and bones but bring them up as wads that look different depending on the species of owl.
And lots of people took the opportunity to sort through the pellets, which are baked for sanitary reasons. The pellets contained tiny skulls, vertebrae and other bones of rodents.
In addition to pellet examinations, people could make crafts, learn about the anatomy of owls, listen to stories and take part in a scavenger hunt.
Well over 300 people attended the event on March 3. Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, which oversees Campbell Valley Regional Park, invited owl-related groups including the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program, based in North Langley, and the Orphaned Wildlife rehabilitation society, based in Delta. Both organizations brought live owls which are used to educate the public.
