Hello, everyone!
This blog is a way overdue and I thank those longtime readers and other patient folks for their dedication, patience and encouragment.
I may not be as ready as I like but it is time to take my ever-growing e-mail distribution list and go wider with a blog to which I can refer people and has an interactive medium happening.
To briefly summarize before detailed histories are written, I have been watching a mated pair of Great Horned Owls in Forest Park for over three years. I have dubbed this pair Charles and Sarah (stories behind their names to follow). My time with these owls provides me with an new interpretation of ESL. Instead of English as a Second Language, ESL means to me: Experience, Skill, Luck. With a healthy helping of ESL I have seen these owls: perch, stretch, groom, hoot, duet, mate, fly, stretch, hunt, incubate eggs, raise youngsters, and more. I hope to flesh out this information and describe in great detail the amazing doings of Charles and Sarah!
Observing and describing the lives of a mated pair of Great Horned Owls and the amazing range of wildlife found in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri.
About Me
- Mark
- To arrange an owl prowl or an owl talk, please e-mail me at mglenshaw@gmail.com My name is Mark H.X. Glenshaw and I am an award-winning naturalist. I focus my attention both in the field and in the library on the wildlife found in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. A gem of an urban park, Forest Park hosts a startling and consistently increasing range and depth of wildlife. I have closely observed and documented the activities of a male Great Horned Owl, his mates and their offspring since late December 2005. I have named the male: Charles. This observation and documentation and the related research are the most challenging, rewarding, stimulating and complex undertaking I have ever undertaken. I lead owl prowls and give talks on these owls for groups and individuals. Thanks for reading!
Posts
Upcoming Public Owl Presentations (I also do private owl presentations for many different groups
- FREE, in-person, public, all-ages program, "Forest Park Owls: Hunting and Feeding", Saturday, November 9, 2024, 1:00pm, C.E. Brehm Memorial Public Library District, 101 South 7th Street, Mt. Vernon, Illinois 62864, 618-242-6322, mtvbrehm.org
- FREE, in-person, public, all-ages program, "Forest Park Owls: Hiding In Plain Sight", Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 6:00pm, St. Louis Public Library-Schlafly Branch, 225 North Euclid Avenue, St. Louis Missouri 63108 (314) 367-4120, Registration is required. To register, please visit: tinyurl.com/2v9kcfxk
- FREE, in-person, public, all-ages program, "Great Horned Owls: Mating, Nesting and Owlets", Saturday, November 16, 2:00pm, Decatur Public Library, 120 US-51-BR, Decatur, Illinois 62523, 217-424-2900 This talk is generously sponsored by the Decatur Area Audubon Society, facebook.com/share/19LBSEESUx
- FREE, in-person, public, all-ages program, "Great Horned Owls: Mating, Nesting and Owlets", Saturday, November 23, 11:00am, Giant City State Park Visitors Center, 235 Giant City Road, Makanda, Illinois, 62958 Registration is required. To register, please call: 618-457-4836 This talk is generously sponsored by the Friends of Giant City Park
Links and blogs I like about owls, Forest Park and wildlife
- My YouTube Page-Lots of Owl Footage
- Missouri History Museum Blog Post
- HEC-TV Piece On The Owls and Me
- Sixth appearance on St. Louis Public Radio's "St. Louis on the Air"
- Article in "Missouri Conservationist", November 2019
- Fifth appearance on St. Louis Public Radio's "St. Louis on the Air"
- Article in Patch St. Louis, Summer 2018
- Fourth appearance on St. Louis Public Radio's "St . Louis on the Air"
- June 2017 article in "The St. Louis Post-Dispatch" on the owls and my work with them
- Sidebar piece on overcoming enculturated fears of owls, "The St. Louis Post-Dispatch", June 2017
- Third appearance (1/5/2017) on KWMU's "St. Louis on the Air"
- Second appearance (12/30/2015) on KWMU's St. Louis on the Air
- Appearance on KDHX's "Earthworms"
- Appearance on KTRS' "Growing Green" 7/11/2015
- KWMU's piece about Sarah's death
- 2nd piece on KBIA's "Missouri Environment"
- 1st piece on KBIA's on "Missouri Environment"
- KMOV Forest Park Forever Special 2014 featuring the owls and me
- Article from Danny Brown's Nature Frames
- Article from Fontbonne University's "Tableaux"
- Article from the Belleville News-Democrat
- Article from Fontbonne University's "Fontbanner"
- My appearance on KWMU's "St. Louis on the Air"
- Video piece done by Lindenwood University student
- Article from St. Louis University's "University News"
- FOX 2 piece on the owls with a comment from me
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch article on the owls and me
- St. Louis Magazine article on the owls and me
- West End Word article on the owls and me
- Forest Park Forever
- St. Louis Bioblitz
- Academy of Science of St. Louis
- Forest Park 365
Organizations For Whom I Have Presented Talks On The Owls
- Audubon Society of Missouri
- Boy Scout Troop 98
- Brentwood Public Library
- Bridgeton Kiwanis Club
- Burroughs Audubon Society of Great Kansas City
- Camp F.R.E.S.H. (Fontbonne University-two years)
- Camp Kumquat (Washington University-3 years)
- Captain Elementary (Clayton, 2 years)
- Christ the King (University City)
- Clark Elementary (Webster Groves-twice)
- Confluence Chapter, Missouri Master Naturalist program
- Conway Montessori (Creve Couer)
- Cuba Hills Gardening Club
- East Ozarks Audubon Society
- Edwardsville Public Library
- Flynn Park Elementary (University City)
- Fontbonne University (three times)
- Forest Park Forever (4 times)
- Gateway Greening (twice)
- Grand Rivers Audubon Society
- Great Rivers Chapter, Missouri Master Naturalist program
- Hampton Midtown Kiwanis Club
- Hayner Public Library (Alton, IL)
- Hickey College
- Immanuel Lutheran (Olivette-3 times)
- Kaskaskia Valley Audubon Society
- Maplewood Public Library (4 times)
- Miramiguoa Chapter, Missouri Master Naturalist program
- Missouri Nature and Environmental Photographers (MONEP)
- Ozark Gateway Audubon Society
- Ozark Rivers Audubon Society
- Shepherd's Center-Webster/Kirkwood
- Songbird Station (Columbia, MO)
- Southern Illinois Audubon Society
- St. Louis Audubon Society
- St. Louis County Library ( Ten times at six branches)
- St. Louis Public Library
- Tuesday Women’s Association, Ethical Society of St. Louis
- University City Public Library
- Webster Groves Nature Study Society [WGNSS] (twice)
- Webster University (twice)
- Wild Bird Rehabilitation (twice)
Search This Blog
Owl Bibliography
- Great Horned Owl, Smith, Dwight, 2002
- Guide to Owl Watching in North America, Heintzelman, Donald, 1992
- How to Spot an Owl, Taylor Sutton, Patricia and Sutton, Clay, 1994
- Intriguing Owls: Extraordinary Images and Insight, Tekiela, Stan 2009
- Messages From An Owl, Terman, Max, 1996
- North American Owls: Biology and Natural History, Johnsgard, Paul, 2002
- North American Owls: Journey Through A Shadowed World, Burns, Jim, 2004
- One Man’s Owl, Heinrich, Bernd, 1987
- Owls of North America and the Caribbean, Weidensaul, Scott, 2015
- Owls of North America, Backhouse, Frances, 2008
- Owls of the United States and Canada: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior, Lynch, Wayne, 2007
- Owls of the World, Duncan, James R., 2003
- Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide, Mikkola, Heimo 2012
- Owls, Toops, Connie, 1998
- Owls: An Artist's Guide to Understanding Owls, Scholz, Floyd 2001
- Owls: Their Life And Behavior, De La Torre, Julio and Wolfe, Art, 1990
- The Complete Book of North American Owls, Duncan, James 2013
- The Illustrated Owl: Barn, Barred, & Great Horned: The Ultimate Reference Guide for Bird Lovers, Artists, and Woodcarvers, Rogers, Denny, 2004
- The Nightwatchers, Camerson, Angus and Parnall, Peter, 1984
- The Owl Papers, Maslow, Jonathan, 1988
- The World of the Great Horned Owl, Austing, G. Ronald and Holt, John B, 1966
Congrats for taking the blogging plunge! I'm sure your readership will grow (at least by one as I am now a follower). Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteBen
Many thanks, Ben! -Mark.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Mark! I thought of you when a small screech owl inhabited my garage for a few weeks. Hope all is well in StL. -Lauren
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Lauren!! Thanks for thinking of me when you had the owl in your garage-how cool to have one so close. Hope all is good out west! -Mark
ReplyDeleteHey Mark! Long time no see; I haven't made it over to the park lately but I've been wondering what the owls were up to.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you've got a blog to track your owl adventures... I'll be checking back often. You've got a unique and wonderful relationship with these birds.
Many thanks for the kind words, Julie. I hope to see you in the park sometime soon! Good luck with the remainder of the semester-Mark.
ReplyDelete