Easter is indeed a great time for celebration. To many it represents re-birth and a rejuvenation of hope in a world rife with violence, hatred, indifference and a feeling of hopelessness.
It celebrates a new beginning, new life, and a new light on the horizon.
This Easter weekend was a double-bonus time at the Ellis Bird Farm. It witnessed on Saturday night — as did a community of viewers on its great horned owl webcam site — the birth of a tiny owlet bobbing its head around in the nest while mom delivered a pre-Easter feast: a mouse.
It was time to celebrate a new life.
That incredible event was captured on video by a dedicated watcher on the site. It witnessed one of the awesome occurrences in the wilds of this great bird of prey never before made accessible to large numbers of people.
To date, the site’s views exceed 100,000, a major success story coming live from the wilds.
“URGENT. We have a hatch!” was the excited message broadcast over the owl site at 9:33 p.m.
Myrna Pearman, biologist and educator behind this project, was beside herself with joy.
Pearman is responsible for the Ellis Bird Farm operations southeast of Lacombe on the Prentiss road. Her main drive is to educate the public about the wonders of nature, with special emphasis on the importance of respect for our fragile environment that is home to our wild creatures.
The great horned owl site is a rare opportunity to monitor and capture in great detail the daily activities of a mated pair in the wild, from the first laying of an egg, up to the birth, and, hopefully in the future, a full-scale fledge of at least two mature youngsters.
Two eggs have been laid at the nest this year.
It’s likely this project is a first-of-its kind for webcam watchers who have taken up the trend by the millions, tuning into live views of wildlife on webcams broadcasting around the world through Ustream on the Internet.
The webcams have been called “the latest in reality TV.”
But unlike the other so-called “reality shows,” these sites deliver the genuine article.
Nature stirs within the soul a fascination for a world functioning totally on instinct and the love exhibited by creatures towards their young.
There is a peace found in nature. People yearning for a refuge have found it in nature.
Nature has a magical force to draw people together in a common interest. Chat rooms on Ustream are filled with joy. They offer a rare opportunity for people to share experiences in solitude and peace.
Interest in these sites in Central Alberta became evident last year when the Red Deer River Naturalists established a webcam in a nesting box for peregrine falcons at the top of the Telus radio tower.
The success of that project was overwhelming. The site drew more than 300,000 views. And the raising of three peregrine falcon chicks attracted attention from every corner of the world — except the Antarctica.
The falcon site is up and running again this year, this time with several new rewarding features.
In short, one should never underestimate the healing powers of Mother Nature.
For the benefit of the sceptics, it’s been proven millions of times.
Rick Zemanek is an Advocate editor.