Skyline Happenings

Thanks to Linda W. – “Only in New York!”

By Nick Garber, Patch Staff

Nov 18, 2020 2:43 pm ET|Updated Nov 18, 2020 10:01 pm ET

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — On Monday afternoon, Ellen Kalish got a call from a woman she didn’t know, asking if her husband might be able to donate an owl to Kalish’s wildlife rehabilitation center.

“I told her yes, we’ve been specializing in birds of prey for 20 years and I’d be happy to take an owl,” recalled Kalish, the founder and director of Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties, New York. Then she asked the woman where her husband worked.

The answer, it turned out, was Rockefeller Center — where the caller’s husband had just helped transport this year’s Christmas tree from Oneonta in upstate New York down to Midtown Manhattan, where it was installed Monday.

“I said yes, bring him up, we’ll give him an exam, make sure he’s OK, and take it from there,” Kalish said.

On Tuesday, Kalish met the couple in New Paltz, where they handed over the tiny bird — an adult Saw-whet owl, among the smallest in all of North America. She’s nicknamed it “Rockefeller.”Subscribe

Realizing the hungry critter hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since the tree was cut down Saturday, Kalish brought the owl home, where it gulped down water and devoured a number of frozen mice.

The owl is set to receive X-rays during a vet appointment later Wednesday afternoon, to ensure that none of its bones were broken during the Christmas tree’s three-hour trip to the city, or while the 11-ton spruce was being hoisted into place Monday at Rockefeller Center

After that, Kalish said, “We’ll release him right here in Saugerties.” Adult Saw-whet owls migrate and rarely stay in one place, Kalish explained, meaning there’s no need to release it back in Oneonta, which is about two hours west.

“It doesn’t really matter where we release him — he’s going to go wherever he wants,” she said.

A Rockefeller Center spokesperson said in a statement: “We inspect each branch of the tree individually before it’s wrapped, but birds sometimes can find their way into it on the journey.”

Kalish’s Facebook post recounting the lucky find had racked up more than 2,500 shares by Wednesday afternoon — no surprise, she said, given that people are craving a bit of good news amid this year’s turmoil.

“I just felt like I needed to share it,” she said. “Especially in these times.”