The Little Owl That Arrived from a School Courtyard

On February 25th, a schoolteacher found something unexpected in his school's courtyard: a fledgling mochuelo wrapped in grayish down, more skin than feathers, staring out at the world with that exaggerated seriousness owls seem to carry from the moment they are born. Without hesitation, he gathered the small creature and brought it to Fundación Loros, where Carlos Andrés received it with the quiet steadiness of someone who knows the wild well. He read the situation quickly: stepped outside, caught two lizards — lobitos, as they're called here along the coast — and the little owl swallowed them without a second thought. "It's doing fine," Carlos said. It was a good sign. From Fundación Loros, Alejandro coordinated with Marcela Villadiego of EPA Cartagena to arrange the transfer to the Centro de Atención y Valoración, where the mochuelo would receive specialized care. On February 27th, Angélica closed the loop and carried it there herself. In the photograph taken at the handoff, Carlos Andrés holds the bird with gloves, flanked by two others — one of them in a navy blue veterinary uniform — standing before a wire fence. The little owl may belong to the species Megascops choliba, the tropical screech owl, though the identification has yet to be confirmed. The story began without explanation, as so many things in the field do. But there was a teacher who knew to pick it up.