There is much speculation regarding who is at fault for the events of December 15, 2023. I intend to convince you that the Northern Saw-whet owl, lovingly named Paquito, is not the curator of these events. What we know, is that the day started out rather strange. An unfamiliar sound woke our avian friend from his slumber, and the forest-dwelling bird found himself in a strange, unfamiliar world. He was alone, separated from his family, and torn away from his home. What followed is not his fault.
It is unknown what time Paquito awoke, but is safe to assume that immediately after the unfamiliarity of the environment caused our little friend distress. All of the noise and bright lights of Greenswood were alien to the forest bird, as was the early hour. Being a nocturnal creature, Paquito was not familiar with being awake during the day, and coupled with the confusion of a new environment, he was bound to experience some disorientation. Upon attempting to leave the tree he had nested in, Paquito became entangled in the lights that had been strung up around the tall pine. In his struggle to free himself, the Northern Saw-whet owl bit through the wire, which would lead to later problems. Around seven in the morning, Paquito managed to free himself and fly out of the dense branches, startling a one Mr. Webber. Mr. Webber was hanging ornaments on the tree when, upon the sudden appearance of an owl, he slipped off his ladder and broke his femur. This was the first of what would be a series of six rather unfortunate events.
Once free of the light-bound tree, Paquito needed to find his way out of the busy town of Greenswood. His biggest issue: he didn’t know where out was. Northern Saw-whet owls use their impeccable eyesight and outstanding hearing to hunt, and navigate their forest homes. All of the clamor and brilliant lights of Greenswood were overwhelming for Paquito. The concrete and stone buildings seemed to stretch infinitely below him, and like anyone lost and alone, he began to panic. Most residents of our quaint town are not used to seeing an owl flying around, and most certainly not in broad daylight. This surprise and confusion led to three accidents, one on Charles and Hagger Street, and two at the intersection of Main Street and Sasquan Road. Thankfully none of the accidents resulted in major injury, and those involved were able continue their day as (mostly) normal. By this time, word had started to spread that there was an owl in town.
At about lunch time, our fifth incident occurred. Mrs. Dubo, the kindly florist we all love, was tending to the plants outside her store when poor Paquito crash landed in her petunias. Kindly Mrs. Dubo holds no ill feeling towards the little owl, and had attempted to assist him. Unfortunately, in his confused and terrified state, Paquito could not recognize the helpful intentions of Mrs. Dubo, and in his eagerness to leave, tore up more flowerboxes. By this point, animal control had been alerted. It would still take another hour and forty-five minutes for them to contain our friend. This, unfortunately, gave Paquito the time to fly to Mr. Joe Starzky’s farm. Anyone who knows Farmer Joe, as he is known around town, is well aware of his intolerance for anything he may consider a pest. Which, suffice to say, is anything from children to a worm that wiggled wrong. And an owl would certainly be considered a pest. The sixth incident of December 15th happened when Mr. Starzky shot Paquito, the bullet going straight through his wing. Thankfully animal control arrived before Mr. Starzky could finish what he had started, and took our owl friend to safety.
As many of you know, Paquito was brought to Hopeful Hearts animal rescue, and brought back to health by a superb team of vets. However, he is not in the clear yet. The unfortunate events following Paquito’s arrival caused rather substantial damage, and a number of injuries. It is well known that a decision regarding what to do about these incidents will be this Friday at the town council meeting. I implore everyone to think before blaming a little, lost owl. It is not Paquito’s fault that he wound up in our town. It is not his fault that instead of his familiar, midnight forest home, he awoke to trees made of concrete and steel, and glaring sunlight. I beg you to ask yourselves, what would I have done in a similar situation? What would I have done if I was torn away from my home? I know that I would hare reacted much the same as little Paquito did. So, once again, I ask you kind, understanding people, to vote for saving Paquito. Do not condemn him because he was afraid. Sympathize with him because he is innocent. If Mr. Webber and Mrs. Dubo can forgive him, why not you?
This article, written by well-known town journalist Ian Parker, was published in the Greenswood Local just three days before the council meeting. The decision being made was to return the owl, who had been rendered flightless by Mr. Starzky’s actions, to the forest he had come from. This would inevitably result in Paquito’s demise as he would be unable to hunt or shelter himself from predators. The other option on the table was to sponsor the owl and send him to Feather’s Promise Sanctuary. On Friday, January 7th, two weeks after the incidents, residents voted, nearly unanimously, to give Paquito a second chance. The Northern Saw-whet owl now lives happily under tender human care. Now that he isn’t so afraid, he’s quite the attention seeker. People in Greenswood visit him from time to time, and the story of the owl who crashed a town’s Christmas, is told all over.
Written by Emlyn Monti from Bristow, VA
