Rita Venable, left, with Amy MacKenzie and the newest member of the Owl's Hill education team.
It wasn’t an easy decision to pick from among the many entries in our Name the Barred competition, but the newest member of our Owl’s Hill family is now officially named Thoreau.
The clever winning name was submitted by nature writer and photographer Rita Venable.
“I suggested naming the owl after Thoreau because he gave the world the gift of his nature writing,” Venable said. “It is appropriate that he be honored at a nature sanctuary, especially at Owl’s Hill, since it educates so many people about the natural world.”
Director Jean Buchanan, who was on the selection committee, agreed, adding that the name was especially fitting because the Barred owl came to Owl’s Hill from Walden’s Puddle – a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Joelton – “and his home is a nice little house overlooking a pond where his many friends can come to visit him.”
“It has been fun receiving so many creative entries,” said Nancy Garden, director of education at Owl’s Hill. “Some of our favorites were President Barredrack Owlbama, and the chef names of Oliver (for Jamie Oliver) and Gordon Ramsey, suggested because of the Barred owl’s call of who, who, who cooks for you.”
“Other popular suggestions were Achilles, Phoenix, Oracle and Shakespeare, which was the name of our beloved Barred owl who died last summer,” Garden said.
Thank you to all of you who entered the contest; we hope you will visit soon and meet Thoreau in person!
