topic Re: Christmas Tree Surprise in Community Chat

Christmas Tree Surprise

Greeneyedlady21 — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 13:49:28 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia family got a real hoot from its Christmas tree: More than a week after they bought it, they discovered a live owl nestled among its branches.

Katie McBride Newman said Friday that she and her daughter spotted the bird on Dec. 12. They had bought the 10-foot (3-meter) tall tree from a Home Depot, brought it back to their Atlanta area home and decorated it with lights and, coincidentally, owl ornaments.

“It was surreal, but we weren’t really freaked out about it,” McBride Newman said. “We’re really outdoorsy people. We love the wilderness.”

The family opened windows and doors near the tree hoping the owl would fly away, but it didn’t.

So the family called a nonprofit nature center for help. The Chattahoochee Nature Center caught the bird and helped the family release it.

McBride Newman said she believed the bird had been in the tree since they bought it, but was hidden.

“We think he was just in there hugging the trunk,” she said. “It’s a very dense tree and it was very fresh. That’s why we picked it.”

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

phluphy — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 14:07:32 GMT

A Christmas Miracle....love it!!

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

haddon9 — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 14:31:28 GMT

Cute but creepy too! I would hate to have it fly around at night trying to find food in my house!

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

chrystaltree — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 14:41:23 GMT

I don't about Christmas miracle, it was shocker. We're hearing a lot about critters and wildlife in live Christmas trees now. I don't remember that being the case years ago. I suppose now when they harvest the trees, they don't inspect them.

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

godi — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 14:45:48 GMT

That is absolutely amazing. That's a real Christmas gift. Thank you for sharing @Greeneyedlady21

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

Lucky Charm — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 14:58:00 GMT

Wow, it was a true tree hugger considering they wrapped the strings of lights around the tree and hung the tree decorations. Hard to believe it didn't budge. And to take a nap with all the commotion right out in the open!

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

on the bay — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 15:32:17 GMT

@Greeneyedlady21 -

That is an amazing surprise!

Thank you for sharing this story. I would have felt that is all the presents I needed just to see this owl!

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

threecees — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 18:59:42 GMT

I think now the family needs to put some ornaments on their tree that look

like their beautiful temporary visitor.

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

SilleeMee — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 19:02:00 GMT

Wow that owl is adorable! Looks so peaceful there asleep it looks like.

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

PINKdogWOOD — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 19:28:01 GMT

@Greeneyedlady21 Thanks for the photo!!!

This is hands down the absolute BEST holiday story this year!!!!

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

RedTop — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 20:35:44 GMT

I’d much rather see the owl than the sack of praying mantis eggs, or other bugs

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

CelticCrafter — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 21:48:48 GMT

The way he's nestled into the branches looks fake to me.

I can't imagine him staying in that tree through all it went through before they finally brought it home.

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

haddon9 — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 21:54:44 GMT

@CelticCrafter wrote:
The way he's nestled into the branches looks fake to me.

I can't imagine him staying in that tree through all it went through before they finally brought it home.

I can't imagine either!...I agree this does seem fake....plus how long is he going to stay as a guest? Will he remain in the same spot through Christmas & New years? Never has to eat or go? Hmmmm I wouldn't want to be the one to have to remove it from the tree & my house!

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

Anonymous032819 — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 22:05:09 GMT

I have cats, so I would've gently picked it up, and placed it outside, and let it fly away.

"Miricle"? No, not a miricle.

But it is a surprise.

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

NickNack — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 22:44:10 GMT

I saw a video about this on Facebook today. It didn't go into all the detail that the article you posted did. That is so interesting. It would have really freaked me out.

Edited to say: I just read the rest of the replies. I don't understand how it stayed in the tree on the ride home either. I always put the tree on the roof of my car. How else would you get it home? Why wouldn't the owl have just flown away?

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

gramgrandkids1 — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 23:13:11 GMT

I would have had a heart attack! I am afraid of birds...in fact anything with feathers. When I was a child my grandparents lived on a farm and you would have thought the Old McDonald song was written about them. They had every farm animal known to man. A male turkey charged me and knocked me down. I don't know if that is where the fear came from but I have panic attacks if around anything with feathers. Thank goodness the family was ok with the owl and got help getting it out safely. I have heard of snakes being coiled up in Christmas trees. I guess it was warm in the house and the snake came out.

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

Azcowgirl — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 01:49:05 GMT

@haddon9 wrote:
@CelticCrafter wrote:
The way he's nestled into the branches looks fake to me.

I can't imagine him staying in that tree through all it went through before they finally brought it home.
I can't imagine either!...I agree this does seem fake....plus how long is he going to stay as a guest? Will he remain in the same spot through Christmas & New years? Never has to eat or go? Hmmmm I wouldn't want to be the one to have to remove it from the tree & my house!

I agree..I believe the picture of an owl has been “added” to the picture of the tree.

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

Bird mama — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 01:53:40 GMT

I'm not an owl birdmama, but I know a fake owl when I see one

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

Daisy Sunflower — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 05:16:42 GMT

Looks like it was photoshopped into the pic.

Re: Christmas Tree Surprise

Yahooey — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 09:55:09 GMT

@Daisy Sunflower wrote:

Looks like it was photoshopped into the pic.

and not done well