Josh Imhof | staff writer |

As Halloween approaches, so does prime owl spotting season. Eight species of owls annually nest in or migrate to the Keystone State for the winter, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Combined with mythological ties to witchcraft and bad omens, owls have been tied to Halloween for centuries.

“They’re so mysterious. They make zero noise when they fly. When they flap their wings you don’t hear anything,” said National Aviary Brand and Creative Specialist Emma Saunders.

Saunders helped organize the “Owl-O-Ween” event currently taking place at the aviary, which is located in Pittsburgh’s North Side. “Owl-O-Ween” is a two-weekend deep dive into owls and what makes them special.

“Our mission is to inspire a respect for nature through an appreciation of birds,” she said. “These events draw people in and it’s a fun way to get those messages across. It’s something that is really fun for kids, their parents and all ages to get them closer to the birds.”

The event kicked off with a costume fashion show where guests dressed for trick-or-treating could come onstage and show off their outfits.

Kids came as their favorite characters, including Elmo, a minion, Pikachu and Bluey, a fan favorite among the audience. Some adults dressed up, including Maureen Butor who came as a bald eagle.

Butor was there with her grandchildren, Selah and Chatham. She said they come to the aviary often.

“I’ve been a member with my late husband since before they were even born. He loved birds. This would be a nice little day trip for us to do,” she said. “I keep the membership up so that my grandkids can appreciate birds and especially since he loved [the aviary] so much … to pass that onto them.”

Chatham ran from table to table learning all that he could while Selah, who’s favorite bird is a penguin named Sunshine, worked on an owl themed coloring page.

Other families created Thaumatropes — a craft consisting of a piece of paper with a string through it that, when spun, created the illusion of an owl flying out of a hat.

The activities were part of the Owl Discovery Zone, a place where kids could learn about owls through interactive stations. One station encouraged guests to run across a long, crinkled sheet of paper to see if they could be “as quiet as a mouse” running from an owl across the forest floor.

Another station had eastern screech owl and Andean condor feathers that guests could touch and hold. Aviary volunteers and staff pointed out the differences between the feathers, noting that the edges of the owl’s are softer so they can quietly fly to sneak up on prey.

They also handed out candy, stickers and pencils to each of the guests.

Aviary volunteer Elaine Steffenaur educated guests on some of the man-made dangers owls have to face and how people can mitigate them.

“Most birds are threatened because of tearing woods down and things like that. That’s a real problem,” she said. “Just like any other bird, they’re being chased from their habitats. The other thing that threatens owls is pesticides. It may not come initially, but it builds up in their systems.”

Steffenaur believes it is important for kids to be exposed to these issues and events, like “Owl-O-Ween” and the aviary’s educational initiatives help to do this.

Once they had seen the Owl Discovery Zone, guests were invited to multiple presentations held throughout the day in different sections of the aviary.

In the theater, ambient nature sounds played overhead as guests learned about nocturnal animals and their behaviors. Dumbledore, a Eurasian eagle owl, sat perched on her handler for the duration of the lecture.

Senior Agriculturist Anna Steffenauer gave a talk about Rossi, a barred owl, outside of his habitat in the Condor Court. In her role, she runs the commissary, handles food prep and nutrition plans for the birds. Steffenauer was excited that the owls received additional attention at the event.

“Owl-O-Ween” will continue through this weekend, ending on Sunday, Oct. 27. It is included with general admission; tickets can be purchased through the National Aviary’s website.

“A lot of people ask about owls, but we don’t really have a whole lot of them out on habitat,” Steffenauer said. “We have our barred owls and our burrowing owls, so it’s nice to showcase them a little bit more and talk about them.”