Owl invader takes up roost inside Oak Bay home

When Tina Gaboury noticed an owl perched on the eating room chandelier, she knew this was a special form of home invasion.

It was Sunday, Nov. 13 in Oak Bay, B.C., and Gaboury and her boyfriend had arrived to test on a buddy’s home. Once inside, they could not assist however discover a number of issues have been misplaced.

Lamps have been knocked over, footage have been off the partitions, and the home was in a normal state of disarray. Given the scene they’d walked into — and the actual fact the house owner was a meticulous housekeeper — they figured the place had been robbed.

“We have been strolling round, seeing if there was like a damaged window or one thing like that,” Gaboury mentioned on CBC’s All Points West.

“And as we have been strolling round, I used to be simply getting my cellphone out to name the police, and I appeared up and there was this owl hanging on the chandelier within the eating room, staring down at us.”

The winged intruder turned out to be a barred owl. The species is well identifiable by its grey-brown vertical striping over a white physique, its massive, rounded head, and lack of ear tufts.

Based on the black soot marks on the lounge ceiling, Gaboury mentioned the owl will need to have are available by means of the chimney.

The query was, easy methods to get it out?

Because this feathered felon was in no hurry to go away.

“I wasn’t positive easy methods to react, however he simply sat there and stared down at us,” Gaboury mentioned. “So then as soon as we bought slightly bit extra comfy, we began selecting stuff up off the flooring and issues like that, and he simply sat there and simply stared at us the entire time whereas we have been doing our factor.”

Gaboury mentioned she and her boyfriend opened up some home windows and doorways however the owl nonetheless confirmed no indicators of wanting to go away. It additionally took up roost on a china cupboard, and on a wicker field sitting on a chair within the nook of the eating room.

By this time, Gaboury had referred to as her brother-in-law for some help. Eventually, he performed “owl in a towel” and took the bundle out the again door. He positioned the parcel on a patio desk and took the towel off. Gaboury mentioned the owl sat there for about 10 minutes, soaking up some consideration.

“He sat there and allow us to pet him,” Gaboury mentioned.

“He was simply having fun with the corporate after which he simply ultimately flew off to one of many bushes within the yard.”

Two incidents, one owl?

This owl invasion is the second in Oak Bay in current days. In the early hours of Nov. 10, police responded to a special location after a house owner referred to as them in a state of misery. They arrived to seek out an owl sitting on a sofa.

Based on her personal footage, and ones taken on the different location by the Oak Bay Police Department, Gaboury mentioned it is the consensus of all that it is the identical owl.

David Bradley, provincial director for the non-profit Birds Canada, mentioned he is unsure why this explicit barred owl has been taking up residence in individuals’s houses, however that it is most likely searching for meals. 

“It may be searching for a roosting web site,” he mentioned.

Nothing was taken within the second incident, however the owl did depart some proof of the encounter behind.

Gaboury mentioned there have been “plenty of little treats from the owl, everywhere in the furnishings and the flooring, if you already know what I’m saying.”