Elementary-age kids will have the chance to meet a live owl and dig into one of nature's more surprising science lessons Tuesday, October 6, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at a local venue hosting the Owl Pellet Dissection program.
Owl pellets — the compressed bundles of fur, feathers, and bones that owls regurgitate after a meal — serve as a field guide to what the birds have been hunting. Participants will dissect the pellets and sort through the remains to identify prey species, getting a hands-on look at the food chain from the predator's perspective.
The program is geared toward elementary-age children and combines a live owl encounter with the dissection activity. It falls under both education and birding programming categories, a pairing that reflects the kind of outdoor science programming Helena families tend to turn out for in the fall months.