Great Horned Bat

From Jack Halloway

While rounding up 9 Great Horned Owls to be released tonight, one of them was determined to not be caught. In his obstinency to avoid capture, he would hang like a bat instead of landing on one of the perches in reach of my snatching hands.

Ultimately, all were secured and released at multiple locations along the Salt River. Each looked strong in their rehabbed flight.

As a side note of personal entertainment to me, one excited onlooker at the last release site was surprised at how "small" these Great Horned seemed. "Small?", I queried. "They're the largest owl in Arizona."

She confidently - and most adamantly - proclaimed one owl near her house has an 8-foot wingspan and is at least "this tall" as she held her hand just below her waist. Despite that being more than twice the actual size, I just smiled and said I'm glad she enjoys her wildlife.

I am always impressed at how magnificently people misjudge the size of animals at a distance versus up close.

My most memorable rescue of, what the caller described as, "an eagle in my backyard that comes up to my thigh" turned out to be an American Kestrel - which is the smallest falcon in the US standing at 8 inches tall.

Sometimes it's just best to skip the education part and just smile and nod.