By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— Children of all ages gathered around the Creepy Crawly Table at the Alabama Wildlife Center’s annual Owl-o-ween event Oct. 24. They reached into the dirt filled bowls and pulled out worms to show their parents.

Some used tweezers to find leftover bones from an owl’s last meal, and others created masks with colorful feathers. From games to cookie decorating to face painting, Owl-o-ween gave families a closer look at what the Alabama Wildlife Center does.

“We are very excited about the turnout,” executive director Doug Adair said of the hundreds of people in attendance. “This is just a great way for us to reach out to the community and for folks to come to the Alabama Wildlife Center and just have a really fun, family friendly afternoon. We want as many people as possible to come and to see these beautiful animals up close.”

Owl-o-ween would also not be complete without the owls themselves. The resident owls at the AWC made appearances during the Birds of Prey show, and owls from the Alabama 4-H center and Rise Raptor Project, Inc joined them.

Rise Raptor Project brought its Eurasian eagle owl, Maximus. Guests crowded around his handler trying to get a good view of the largest owl species in the world.

Volunteers from the AWC helped run games and handed out candy to the costumed kids. The kids were able to earn prizes from properly matching birds to their description and for tossing the correct “food” to the corresponding bird.

“Education is a big part of our mission at the AWC,” Adair said. “In addition to rescue, rehabilitation and release back into the wild, we have a mission to raise awareness about the wonderful wildlife resources that we are blessed with here in Alabama.”

Adair said this was the second year Owl-o-ween included the Owl Prowl, a dark tunnel that allowed families to watch songbirds through the eyes of an owl.

Guests also witnessed the release of a rehabilitated barred owl later in the day’s activities.

“This is always a really fun event for the whole family,” Adair said. “It’s just a great way to spend an afternoon in beautiful Oak Mountain State Park and see what the Alabama Wildlife Center is all about.”