Owl makes an appearance in downtown Providence

Article Date: 2009-10-09   Source: http://www.projo.com   Comments: 0

By Tatiana Pina

PROVIDENCE — Sitting still on the branch of a birch tree, the brown-and-white owl looked like a sketch that accompanies a poem.

But this owl was perched in a group of trees Thursday outside One Financial Plaza downtown, and it was causing quite a stir.

Word of mouth spread fast, bringing a constant stream of people from nearby businesses. The owl perched still with eyes closed, oblivious to the people below snapping pictures on cell phones and cameras.

''Is he alive?''

''How did he get there?''

After a several minutes of stillness, the owl turned its feathery head completely around. A collective ''wow'' rang out below.

Mary Szczoczarz, of the Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge law firm, wanted to know what kind of owl it was. ''I Googled him.'' she said. ''He is not a spotted owl.''

As it turned out, it was a barred owl.

''Isn't it weird to see him in the middle of the city,'' said Sally Dawkins, a receptionist for the law firm of Duffy & Sweeney. ''It's fascinating that he can sit there and sleep. I wish I could do that at work.''

It's not unusual for a barred owl to be seen in daylight, according to Gail Mastrati, spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, which had been called to view the bird. She said that the owl would probably stay put and fly off to hunt at night. An environmental police officer said it was an adult owl, in excellent shape.

Birdwatching wasn't all that was on people's minds. Michael Bilodeau, who works at the RISD bookstore, was having his lunch in the plaza.

''Watching the people watching the owl was just as interesting,'' he said.

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