An Unusual Visitor

By Dylan Scherpf, Engl 336.001 

Underneath the bright yet cloudy afternoon sky of Saturday September 15^th, 2012, was a somewhat uncommon mix of Frostburg State University students and Appalachian locals brought together by none other than the Appalachian Festival. The relaxed atmosphere of bluegrass music, ambling crowds, and sweet drifting smells, seemed to be completely at odds with one specific attendee. This particular guest stood, absolutely still, near a table under one of the large tents, watching, ever vigilant, with his single eye. Students would pass by, wondering if he was actually real until he cocked his head around to get a better look at them. 

Clearly, this was no ordinary guest. What set him apart the most was perhaps his height, a little over seven inches, his large yellow eye, or perhaps his uncanny resemblance to tree bark due to his splotchy brown, white, and grey feathers. He is, in other words, an owl. An Eastern Screech Owl, to be exact, the second smallest breed in Maryland. “He’s very small, but he can still hurt you,” Cliff Puffenberger, a Maryland Part Service Ranger, would often warn curious children. The owl’s sharp hooked beak and relatively large talons were enough to convince them that Cliff wasn’t kidding. 

Along with members of the Maryland Park Service of Rocky Gap State Park, the owl was at the festival as a part of the “Scales and Tails” presentation, which was meant to help the public protect wildlife by being more aware of how they can injure animals. Katy Barger, the Lead Naturalist at Rocky Gap State Park (pictured above with the owl), illustrated this through the story of “a turtle that had his leg cut off by someone mowing their lawn.” Turtles tend to like areas of tall grass, she explained, and found the unkept lawn appealing. Accidents like this can be avoided by maintaining one’s lawn more frequently. 

The owl, who remains unnamed “to keep distance away from the word pet,” according to Barger, had also been involved in a tragic accident. Due to the owl’s naturally poor peripheral vision, he was hit by a car while eating some feed that had been thrown on the road. “He lost an eye, broke a wing, and suffered some neurological damage,” Cliff explained. The extent of the damage is largely due to the fact that the owl “weighs about as much as a hotdog without the bun,” Barger added. This brain damage is the reason that the owl now lives in captivity with the Park Service. Had it just been the eye injury, he could still survive in the wild. More importantly, had the park visitors refrained from throwing food for the birds; this whole situation could have been avoided. 

It is for animals like these that Katy and Cliff do what they do. Much of their time is devoted to caring for these animals and spreading the word about how each of us can help. They hope, as a result of their appearance at the Appalachian festival, that students and residents alike will better understand their impact on the local wildlife and what they can do to protect it.