Last week, we introduced the “Owlivette Owls” who took up residence on the balcony outside the Clover STL apartment of Jewish St. Louisans Rebecca and Zach Berg. The great horned owls—named Sir Owlbertson, Owlberta and Owlivia by the Bergs—recently moved out.
Once baby Owlivia got her wings and learned to fly, the Owlivette Owls departed to parts unknown. The wooded area just east of Nusach Hari B’nai Zion on N. Price Road is a natural habitat, so the Berg’s house guests may well have relocated to a tree in the neighborhood, where there are plenty of bugs to munch on. The departure was expected, as Owlivia seemed ready to soar, said Rebecca Berg.
“Baby Owlivia had gotten so big and even showed us her wings,” Berg said. “After a while, Mama Owlberta stopped coming back during the day and returned only at night. She would leave small and large prey for Owlivia but it took some time for her to learn how to eat on her own.
“One night, I caught a glimpse of her return. She landed on the railing of the balcony on the opposite side of Owlivia and I saw Owlivia going crazy for her attention. She opened her wings like she was going to fly to her and was chomping her beak as though to say ‘C’mon, mom, I’m hungry!’”
The Bergs let the owls have their privacy, but they watched Owlivia quickly grow from a tiny, fluffy white fledgling into an adolescent owlet. Adult great horned owls have a wingspan of 55 inches and are the largest of the eight owl species living in Missouri. Their loud, deep hoots can be heard from a long distance. The close-up view of an owl family is unusual, since the creatures tend to nest farther away from humans. Rebecca Berg said nearly 2,000 people followed the Owlivette Owls on social media.
“It was just such a journey,” she said. “Hundreds of people commented. I must have had about 20% of my followers actively engaged. “I have two friends that have birds that have nested outside of their windows. They’ve been following along with the owl story, and now they have started posting about their robins.”
This week, the Bergs, now empty nesters, stood on their balcony next to the barrel planter where Owlivia was born. The couple is ready for another egg, should Owlbertson and Owlberta choose to move back.
“It’s entirely possible that they’ll be back,” Rebecca Berg said. “This will remain Owlberta and Sir Owlbertson’s territory. Owlivia will find her own territory—she’ll move on.”
