Come celebrate the wonderful world of owls at the Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead in Orwell on Saturday, April 19. The Sir Andrew Macphail Foundation will be opening up the Great Room of the Homestead at 6:00pm and serve warm apple cider, tea and coffee. Visitors can warm themselves by the fireplace and have a specially-baked Owl Cookie treat to commemorate the event. There will be no cost but donations to the Foundation will be gratefully accepted.

Then at 7:30pm, the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project is holding its annual Owl Prowl at the Nature Centre. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about a fascinating family of rarely-seen birds. From the tiny “saw whet” to the large “great horned”, owls have long been birds of mythology and misinformation. The workshop will separate fact from fiction, combining a slide show with an outdoor walk.

The owl talk starts with slides and taped calls of common and uncommon owls that can be seen on Prince Edward Island. There are also mounted displays of most of these birds as well as other educational material on owls and their habits.

Participants will then take a walk around the woods and try calling in owls. Make sure to bring clothes suitable to weather conditions. There is no admission for the workshop and everyone is welcome. The new nursery catalogue/calendar of events will also be available. This is a very popular event and visitors are advised to come early.

The owl prowl kicks off an extensive series of outdoor activities at Macphail Woods, a project of the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island and the Sir Andrew Macphail Foundation. For more information on this or upcoming tours and workshops, please contact Gary Schneider at 651-2575.