Window to the Wild for Real…

As you know, my son, Simon and his wife, Lindsey, have a not for profit business called Window to the Wild.

I’ve told you about their Tiny House and how it’s parked at Roger’s Wildlife in Hutchins.  Now, with Spring in full burst, their environment has been re-born.

Outside their living room windows there is a pretty little tree with several bird feeders hanging from it and they enjoy watching the comings and goings of numerous feathered friends, cardinals, cow birds, blackbirds and finches.

Memories of the years we spent trying to foil tree dwelling rodents, flooded back to me and I stood watching, amazed.

“How do you stop the squirrels from racing up the tree and pouncing on the feeders dispersing both seed and birds?”  I asked Lindsey.

“Containers of dog and cat food are left out for the raccoons and other four footed visitors at the other end of the centre,” she explained.

I shivered at the thought of rats joining the feast.

“The diversion obviously works!”  I said as I continued to admire the flurry of undisturbed activity before me.

There is a particularly friendly Blue Jay who is a frequent visitor to the feeders.

He has adopted their Tiny House, aptly named The Perch, as his tree and stands sentinel for the dawn, clammering out the news of first light before the neighbouring roosters have had a chance to clear their throats.

Simon told me how the Jay observes the positive re-enforcement training techniques (involving treats of meat) he and Lindsey employ when working with their hawks and owls each day, rehearsing for the free flight shows they put on around the metroplex.

He caught the wild bird showing off what he’d learned by careful observation,

A Window to the Wild for real!

Not to be eclipsed by a mere Blue Jay a new member of the avian family joined my son and his wife last week.

See if you can guess who has settled comfortably against the pillows of their sofa?

Hermes

Hermes

Look at his talons!  Apparently the female of this species have larger feet, poor girls!

He was almost four weeks old when they got him, already imprinted and eating cut up mice.

Hermes is going play a very special part in their business when he grows up.

I went to visit today and had the pleasure of feeding him Meeses Pieces until he decided he was full,

“This task is not for the faint of heart,” I commented to Lindsey as I picked up the rear end of a mouse by its legs.

Hermes was in heaven!

He is allowed to free roam the Tiny House to get him used to activity and noises.  His favorite place is looking out of the rear window at the chickens.  I tickled him to turn around for the camera and you can already see his distinctive horns that earns him the name,

Hermes4

Great Horned Owl, or in his case, Small Horned Owlet!

They take him everywhere with them at the moment to get used to people and I was allowed to hold the precious bundle after I’d hand fed him,

Hermes&Me

His downy coat felt like a matted wool toy that has been washed one too many times.

Simon says he is a Great Time Waster!  I have to agree.

Hermes2

He has another name too, the hoot owl.

I can’t wait to hear him!

 

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