Farewell to Byron, a famous Maine owl

http://bangordailynews.com/bdn-maine/community/farewell-to-byron-a-famous-maine-owl/

WISCASSETT — Chewonki has lost a legend: Byron the Barred Owl (Strix varia) whose dignity, serenity, and beauty riveted more than 80,000 Maine school children in live classroom visits over the years, died peacefully on Jan. 6 of natural causes. Byron’s fame as a wildlife ambassador was only exceeded by her exceedingly long life –barred owls in captivity generally live to the age of 23 years; Byron was 27.

“She was one of the sweetest, gentlest animals I’ve ever known,” adds Siobhan Prout, a member of the Chewonki staff. “She spent 27 years as an ambassador for her species and Chewonki and inspired tens of thousands of students and adults to appreciate the beauty, strength, and resilience of the natural world.”

Byron arrived at Chewonki in 1990 as a rescue animal, having been wounded in the right wing as a yearling, and delivered to Brunswick veterinarian Amy Wood. The wing was damaged beyond repair. Wood knew the owl might not survive amputation and if it did, it would never fly again.

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“I remember Byron’s arrival at Chewonki,” former Chewonki naturalist Lynne Flaccus recalls. “We opened the box and looked down into those dark, beautiful eyes and bright yellow beak and she didn’t make a peep. No bill clapping, no defensive behaviors. She just stepped up onto a glove and looked around. We were all amazed … Tough little nugget she was!”

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