Marigold Green, Ridge & Valley Charter School
Warren County
First Place, Warren County, Barred Owl (c) Marigold Green
The Barred Owl
The midnight wind whistles through the old growth forest that is my home. I can hear my fellows hooting through the darkness, “Hoo’hoo-hoo; hoo-hoo-hooaahh.”
The night is when we are most alert, our keen eyes searching through the darkness for mice, squirrels – even salamanders! I am the Barred Owl or in scientific terms, Strix varia.
I live in woodlands, wooded swamps or old growth forests. There are a declining number of us inNew Jersey; this is due to habitat loss. We love contiguous, undisturbed forests but in order to build neighborhoods and highways, humans are hacking down our homes! They’re fragmenting the forest, which is unfortunate for us because we only live in large unfragmented forests. When that happens, we have nowhere to go, and are afraid to venture into a great horned owl’s territory because they have been known to kiss us for that.
You can help us by restoring forests and raising awareness. You can raise awareness by giving us a voice and protesting against fragmenting and the cutting down of trees.
In conclusion, I hope I have encouraged you to learn more about my species – the Barred Owl, and have inspired you to bring my species back from the brink. My eyes swivel to a mouse in the underwood - food! I silently swoop into the night.
Written by: Marigold Green
Ridge and Valley Charter School, Blairstown
Teacher: Mr. Bradley White