Tag: Owl

Where’s Owlivia?

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Story and Photos by

Mark Graven

Staff Writer

The tree’s an CNM’s Westside Campus where the famous horned owl couple live.

“Owlivia,” the female half of the now famous horned owl couple in residence at CNM’S westside campus peeks over the second level ledge, on the Southside of the main entrance to the Michael J. Glennon Building.  Her mate, “Whodini,” was nowhere to be seen on Tuesday, March  7th.   Campus personnel said that Whodini often disappears into the trees, by the entrance, when Owlivia, takes the south ledge perch.  
The owls have been recently spotted together on a ledge on the Northside of the MJG entrance, where “Owlivia” had laid two eggs.  Unfortunately, the eggs rolled off the ledge, and did not survive the fall, campus personnel said.  

Photo of an Owl peaking out over the second ledge on the South Side of the entrance at CNM’s Westside Campus.

This marks the second year in a row in which Owlivia has lost her eggs.  The owls achieved notoriety, when a young owlet fell out of his nest in a tree, near the entrance, in 2018, and had to be rescued by local wildlife workers.
Campus administration and security officers now keep tabs on the comings, goings and doings of the owls, which security officers have named.  The Chronicle spoke with Larrison Nelson,, an administrative technician with the Scholl of Adults and General Education and Roger Trujillo, a CNM security officer, outside WSII on Tuesday. 
Nelson and Trujillo said that during the summer months, the owls like to hang out in the pine trees to the north of Westside II building, but prefer to be around the MJG entrance when it is colder.
When the campus is busy, security has signs to set out to indicate the presence of the nesting owls.

Westside Campus Housing Nocturnal Flying Friends

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Story and Photo

By Mark Graven

Staff Reporter
The CNM Westside Campus owls have moved, but not too far, since they apparently like the neighborhood, according to CNM security officers.  
The owls had been making their home on the Michael J. Glennon Building  (MJG building), and a prominent yellow sign at the front of the building still announces  their nesting activity.


About two months ago, security officers noticed the mama owl sitting atop an egg on a second- story window sill of the MJG Building.  They blocked off the window, so people inside the building would not frighten the owls, according to CNM Security Officer Jamison Meyer.


Meyer said shortly after that officers found that the egg had rolled off the window sill, and was broken on the ground below.  
Now the owls hang out in the pine trees to the north of Westside II, Meyer said.  Meyer says he has only seen two owls, and he suspects they are mates.  They are both a little larger than a football in size, and have the feathers that look like horns on their heads.


Meyer said he regularly spots the owls on his patrols.  “I look at them; they look at me,”  said Meyer.  “No one says anything.”
Meyer said that sometimes the owls roost in the same tree:  sometimes they roost in separate trees.  Meyers said, with a laugh, that he suspects they seek separate trees after they have had an argument.


The famous owls of CNM Westside campus made local headlines four years ago, when their baby fell from his nest in a tree by the MJG Building.


Hawks Aloft, a non-profit group that takes care of all kinds of birds, arrived at campus to check the owlet and give it treatment, in addition to providing a new nest.
Gail Garber, executive director of Hawks Aloft, reached for comment by phone, said the owls would probably not try to build a new nest until next spring, but would stay in the area as long as the food supply is good.  Great Horned Owls range across North America, except where it is cold and treeless, she said. Owls, said Garber, are carnivores.  They will eat any kind of meat, including “your cat,” she said.


Meyer said he has seen bones from rabbits and squirrels around campus, so he suspects that the owls have enjoyed good hunting.
They become active after the sun goes down, swooping from trees and light poles as they stalk their prey,  Meyer said. 
Meyer said it relaxes him to spend time observing the owls.  “Especially in these times when so many bad things are happening . . . It’s good to get back to nature.”

Montoya Library to Host Wildlife Rescue Birds of Prey

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By Heather Hay

Staff Reporter

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Book display at Montoya campus library, photo by Heather Hay/CNM Chronicle.

Students will have the chance to see wild birds up close from the Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico and ask questions about volunteer opportunities at the Montoya campus in room 124 on September 27 from 1-2:30pm, said Marilyn Morain, a Rehabilitator and Educator with the Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico.

Across the hall from the room the lecture will take place, in the Montoya Library in room 123 where they have a display of over 24 visual guides and informational books on birds available to check out, said Library Reference Specialist Allyson James-Vigil.

The birds that will be at the event include a Great Horned Owl, an American Kestrel, a Red Tailed Hawk, and a smaller owl which will either be a Burrowing Owl or a Western Screech Owl, she said.

“All birds that will be participating in the event have permanent disabilities and cannot return to the wild; they live with their rehabilitators at their homes,” she said.

The educational program will cover specific information about the different species, what to do in case you encounter an injured bird or mammal, answer questions and general information about the raptors in our area, she said.

Educational programs are usually for schools and libraries but this program venue will be small enough to allow the students to see the birds at a closer level than those attending larger events, she said.

This is the first time she believes her organization has ever done this at CNM, she said.

Morain will also be happy to answer questions any students of the Veterinary Technician program or Biology students considering a career in wild animal care may have about how to volunteer with the organization, she said.

Students who wish to have experience working with wildlife and birds would benefit the most from this type of volunteering, she said.

Although Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico also has volunteer opportunities for all kinds of activities that may interest those with a general interest in wildlife, she said.

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Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico are also scheduled to have a booth at the Festival of Cranes.

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West Side Owls

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By Wade Faast, Staff Reporter

On May 15, CNM security officers and employees of Hawks Aloft worked to help a fallen great horned owlet at the CNM Westside campus.

The owlet fell from its nest in a nearby tree, since the owlet remained on the ground in a high traffic area CNM contacted Hawks Aloft, said CNM security officer Ben Encinias.

Hawks Aloft, sent out volunteer Sophia Borowsky to check on the bird and check the situation. Borowsky gave the owlet a physical exam and determined it to be in good health with no obvious injuries, she said.

Shortly after placing the owlet in a tree to keep it out of harms way, Hawks Aloft raptor rescue coordinator Lisa Morgan arrived with the necessary supplies to build the owlet a new nest in a nearby tree.

Morgan explained that the nest the owlet had been living in was too small and inadequate for a bird of its size, which likely explains why it fell to the ground.

The great horned owl adults had taken over a roadrunner nest, Encinias said.

After deeming the owlet was indeed undersized, and was not receiving enough nutrients an amino acid solution was given to help hydrate and provide nutrition for the young owl, Morgan said.

The new nest was built in a tree located in the northwest corner of the campus courtyard and marked off with caution tape and warning signs.

When the great horned owl adults first moved into the courtyard about 2 months ago CNM security taped off a 30 foot perimeter around the tree they were inhabiting, said CNM security Lieutenant Michael Kerr.

“After the baby owl hatched we increased that perimeter to approximately 100 feet because our primary goal is protecting students, faculty and the wildlife,” he said.

Lt. Kerr advises that all students and staff respect the warning signs and caution tape, and give the owls the space they need.

The owls are protected by federal law, Morgan said.

“You can’t harass, you can’t take, and you can’t pet the owls,” she said.

Three people have been attacked by the adult owls, two employees and one student, none suffered serious injury though, said Lt. Kerr.