Stories from the Forest: Taylor and Winnie the Barn Owl
As we move toward the end of 2023, we’re taking a look back at some of the stories that defined the year. This week, Taylor Berry, our Wildlife Curator, reflects on Winnie the barn owl’s serendipitous arrival at Reflection Riding and the impact she has had on his whole team.
I approached Mark earlier this year about the benefits of having a barn owl, raised by our team, in a stress-free environment for our environmental education programming. Several years ago I joined the IAATE, International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators. As a result of attending some of their continuing education courses, I have really been able to integrate their newest research on raptors into our animal care and education. But, it was actually their newest position statement on captive owls that planted the seed in my head about the benefits of bringing a barn owl to Reflection Riding for educational programming.
We decided to move forward with the idea and I reached out to the Wild Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis to connect us with an owl. During this time I was approached by a non-profit organization, Love, Erin, that wanted to donate to Reflection Riding in honor of their daughter, Erin. Her mother asked if they could specifically donate to an owl because they were Erin's favorite animal. It was an incredible moment of serendipity. This organization was able to come in and help not only with the purchasing of the owl, but also provide everything else that is required to take care of this bird: the travel crates, gloves, food, and medical care. They have put so much investment in this animal to honor their daughter.
In turn, Winnie the barn owl is giving so much back to our community and teaching us so much! All of the other raptors that we care for at Reflection Riding are very injured, incapable of flight, and deemed non-releasable. So when we use them as part of our education programs, we’re usually just holding them and explaining their intricacies. Winnie is different. When people participate in a program with Winnie they can experience first hand an owl’s silent flight. I've trained her to fly to a speaker that plays a cricket sound because barn owls hunt through sound—not sight. The children in the program will hide the speaker and Winnie can find it. It is so much more of an immersive educational experience and it helps us all gain a stronger connection with nature.
Winnie has made my whole team look at the capabilities of our other animals differently. We’re thinking more outside the box and trying to get some of our animals that are a little more capable of activity to start being more interactive with our guests. The half-mile hike around the property with Vlad the vulture is a great example of this. Our mindset has shifted to focus on the abilities our animals still have and think about how we can use those abilities to help educate people. The entire department’s train of thought has done a complete 180 since Winnie’s arrival.
One of my first jobs after I graduated from college was with Tennessee State Parks as an Interpretive Park Ranger. I lived on the park property and someone left a poster hanging in our residence that read, “you only take care of what you love, you only love what you know, and you only know what you've been taught.” This mantra drives everything I do at Reflection Riding. As a conservationist and educator, I am able to create these moments where people are experiencing the beauty of our animals and it helps them fall in love with them, and hopefully they will want to care for them one day as well.
Everything we do here at Reflection Riding tells the story of the interconnectedness of our environment. How our animals rely on the plants in the environment and vice versa. How we as humans are reliant on the animals and the plants as well. I love being able to bring people closer to nature and to help them fall in love with it so that they will want to care for it. And I am so grateful for everyone that supports the work I do here, including organizations like Love, Erin that come alongside us to support our mission to make Reflection Riding sustainable for generations to come.