One family was shocked to find that their tree was home to not only their Christmas decorations, but a live owl! Whooo knows how long the little critter was in there for.
Christmas trees can attract the attention of all kinds of wildlife.
Anyone with a pet will likely know that a Christmas tree is a source of excitement and potential chaos when it comes to household animals. Cats, for instance, only have to see the tree coming in to be sent into a pine-needle and tinsel-inspired frenzy.
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However, one family got a slightly more exotic animal guest in their tree.
They were shocked to find an owl living in their festive tree.
The family from Georgia had their tree delivered last Thursday, and Katie McBride Newman was alerted to the presence of the feathery lodger they had acquired by her youngest daughter.
The young 10-year-old was terrified by the spooky “ornament”.
Speaking to CNN, Ms. Newman explained that the owl had absolutely terrified her little girl:
“She comes very dramatically into the dining room and goes, ‘Mama, that ornament scared me!’ Then she bursts into tears.”
Ms Newman was even more shocked to find that the “ornament” was alive!
Ms Newman is a big fan of owls, so had already decorated the tree with some fake owls, which caused her to think that her daughter had simply been startled by one of the fake owls.
Apparently, Ms. Newman had peered into the tree, spotted the little bird, and was alarmed when it spun its head around and stared back at her. “I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a real owl!'” she explained.
They were perplexed as to how long the owl had been in the tree.
The family had acquired the tree from a store a few days after Thanksgiving.
They thought that the bird must have flown in through the window and settled there since the tree had arrived at their house, although some people have speculated that the bird may have been nesting in the tree when they bought it.
The family left the windows and doors open in the hope it would fly out.
However, as you probably gathered from the above picture of the snoozing little bird, the feathery chap had absolutely no intention of leaving the comfort of the family’s home.
The family ultimately had no choice but to contact a local nature center.
An employee of Chattahoochee Nature Center came to collect the animal.
Chattahoochee Nature Center is a non-profit environmental center. One of the center’s employees came to the family’s home, caught the ornamental bird, and took it away to be returned to the wild.
The employee had also told the family to leave out some raw chicken for the bird, as they were concerned that it may not have eaten for some time.
The bird has been identified as an Eastern screech owl.
The family also thanked the bird for blessing them with its presence this Christmas in a Facebook post, writing:
“Bye-bye, birdie. Thank you for the honor you bestowed on our family — for making the magic and mystery of advent come alive in our home, and for inspiring connection among all who followed the adventure. God’s peace to you as you make your new home outside our home. We hope to see you again… And to all a good night.”
Hopefully the family’s feathered friend is having a good Christmas wherever he is!
The bird is now safely back in the wild. I wish that my Christmas was as exciting as finding an owl living in my Christmas tree, but alas not! Although, there is still time I guess.
h/t: CNN
