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by Mike Strzelecki *
Molly Graf is asking for the help of the Boyertown community in finding her lost barn owl, Ollie. Ollie is an educational owl that Molly employs as part of the Birds of Prey demonstration program. Ollie escaped on May 6th during a demonstration at Pottstown’s Riverfront Park and is thought to be in the Gilbertsville area based on recent sightings.
Molly is a birds of prey educator from Newville, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. Ollie is an 8-year-old male barn owl. “I have a Federal Education License for Birds of Prey, a Pennsylvania falconry license, and a Pennsylvania menagerie permit to house the birds of prey in my care,” Molly explains. “Ollie is a captive, bred owl, purchased by me. And he is on my Federal Education License and my Pennsylvania menagerie permit. He was raised by humans from hatch and has never been wild.”
The reason that Molly thinks Ollie may be in the Gilbertsville area is that he was spotted roosting in a gazebo there last week. “The gazebo was about 8 feet tall, and was located directly outside a home in the middle of a development,” she explains. “The homeowner took a picture of him sleeping on top of the ceiling fan in the gazebo, but had not heard about Ollie and shooed him away. Ollie flew across some farm fields in the direction of an unoccupied farm nearby.”
Since then there have been Ollie sightings reported in the areas of Congo Road, Smith Road, St Luke's Lutheran Church, Wilson Road, and most recently near Schlegel and Oberholzer Roads, in Gilbertsville.
People on social media have wondered why Ollie cannot be allowed to live free in the wild now that he is loose. “This sounds good in reality, but Ollie would probably not stay alive long in the wild,” asserts Molly. “Every day he is free he is at great risk of injury, and death. Ollie was captive bred and raised from the egg by humans. He was not raised by his owl parents. He was imprinted on humans and raised around humans and dogs and other birds of prey. He is as much of a pet as a parrot or other pet bird. If a pet parrot, canary or finch was released or escaped they would not survive in the wild, even though their species are wild. This is the same with Ollie.”
“There are many wild predators who would love to kill him - other birds of prey like great horned owls and red-tailed hawks,” she continues. “Ollie is not afraid of other birds of prey. He is used to being around them and in close proximity to them. He is also not afraid of dogs, or people, or cars, and he will not understand that he is in danger.”
To help in the search for Ollie, Molly explains that you can search any outbuildings that may have outside access - open windows or doors, open sides, or openings in the walls. She recommends looking in structures like barns, silos, sheds, gazebos, lean-tos, equipment buildings, and hay shelters.
“Ollie would be roosting during the days (sitting on a perch probably up high but not necessarily all the way up at the roof level),” Molly explains. “If someone spots him roosting, we have a chance to recover him. If someone spots him in the early evening outside, we could have a chance to trap him.”
Barn owls are largish owl-looking birds that are almost all white in color. Molly reminds people that you can listen for Ollie’s call as well. Barn owls do not make a traditional owl hooting sound but rather voice a loud, harsh scream that lasts about two seconds. Think of an alley cat in heat. You can listen to the sound of a barn owl here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ywq8luxcnE
Molly asks that you please report any possible sightings of barn owls (or even if you hear one). You can report them to the Facebook page Help Find Ollie the Barn Owl, or text Molly at 434-466-1702, or email her at eichenluft@aol.com. Please include the day and time, and the exact location (town, streets, address) where the owl was seen or heard. Molly stresses that there are numerous volunteers in the area who are actively searching for Ollie and can respond quickly.
Molly also wants Boyertownians to know that the Birds of Prey program will host a demonstration at Boyertown Community Park on Sunday, June 25th, to thank the community for assisting in Ollie’s search and hopeful recovery.
* Mike Strzelecki is a freelance travel and outdoor writer, and 1981 graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High School. He writes from his house in Baltimore, Maryland. In his spare, he joins his wife on adventures around the country observing and photographing birds.
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