Late winter here in Creston is the time to hear the call of the Owl - Barred and Great Horned Owls are especially vocal as they begin to search for their mate this season!

We enjoyed delivering our popular Owl Program in the Creston schools this winter where kids learn how to identify common owls in Creston, how owls are fine-tuned hunting machines, and then dissect an open pellet to determine what that owl had for dinner!

Here are some fun owl facts we wanted to share:

• There are over 200 owls worldwide (on all continents except Antarctica) with 19 species found in Canada, 16 species found in BC and 13 species found in Creston (5 common, 5 uncommon, 3 rare).
• Owls belong to a group of birds called Strigiformes. That group is divided into two smaller groups, known as families. The family called Tytonidae includes Barn Owls, which have heart-shaped faces. The second family, Strigidae, includes all other owls, most of which have round faces.
• It’s a common belief that owls can turn their heads all the way around. Not true! Owls have extra small bones in their necks that make it possible for them to turn their heads about three fourths of the way around (270 degrees), but not all the way. 
• Owls are silent flyers - a unique adaptation of owl feathers is the comb-like or fimbriate (fringe-like) leading edge of the primary wing feathers referred to as "flutings" or "fimbriae". With a normal bird in flight, air rushes over the surface of the wing, creating turbulence, which makes a gushing noise. With an Owl's wing, the comb-like feather edge breaks down the turbulence into little groups called micro-turbulences. This effectively muffles the sound of the air rushing over the wing surface and allows the Owl to fly silently. There is also an alternative theory that the flutings actually shift the sound energy created by the wingbeats to a higher frequency spectrum where most creatures (including prey and humans) cannot hear.
• Most owl species have fluorescent wings. Fluorescence in the wing feathers correlates with the age of the feather, new feathers glow brightly, while older ones have lost some of their pigments, and so appear darker or duller under the blacklight.
• A Great Horned Owl has a 1.4 meter (4.6 foot) wingspan!

Owl Pellet Dissection in the classroom!

Frolicking Frogs (Ages 4 & 5; Preschool)

July 28-31 (Monday to Thursday); 9am to 12pm; Cost $85

Curious Caterpillars (Ages 6 & 7; Completed Kindergarten or Grade 1)

July 7-11 and August 4-8 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 3pm; Cost $125

Boisterous Beavers (Ages 8 & 9; Completed Grade 2 or Grade 3)

July 14-18 and August 11-15 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 3pm; Cost $125

Eager Eagles (Ages 10 & 11; Completed Grade 4 or Grade 5)

July 21-25 and August 18-22 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 3pm; Cost $125

Wandering Wolves (Ages 12 & 13; Completed Grade 6 or Grade 7)

August 18-22 (Monday to Friday); 9am to 3pm; Cost $125



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Programs and Canoe Tours run in May and June

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Thank you to everyone who offered their financial support in our annual ask campaign for the 2025 season. We can't do this without you!

We are still busy applying for grants for 2025 and are hopeful we will secure the funding we need to offer a full program roster. Every bit helps so please feel free to donate!

To date, thank you to the following confirmed grantors for 2025: