UT Arboretum Society has Owl Prowl on Saturday

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society has its annual Owl Prowl on Saturday.

It starts at 6:30 p.m. at the UT Arboretum program shelter with a program by the Clinch River Raptor Center, featuring owls found in East Tennessee. Live birds will be on display, and Kathy Strunk and Katie Cottrell will give information about their natural histories, a press release said.

The Raptor Center was started at Clinton Middle School by John Byrd 28 years ago. Since then, 2,090 birds have come to the Raptor Center to be rehabilitated, the press release said.

Strunk and Cottrell have co-directed the Raptor Center for more than 25 years and have given hundreds of programs in East Tennessee on birds of prey.

Saturday’s initial program will be followed by walks on the grounds of the Arboretum led by Strunk, Cottrell, and Byrd, with the goal of hearing some owls. Those who don’t want to go on the walks will have an opportunity to stay at the shelter and visit with the center’s educational owls, the release said.

Participants are encouraged to bring flash lights if they plan to take part in the “owl prowl.”

The UT Arboretum is located at 901 S. Illinois Ave.

To learn more about the Arboretum Society, visit them online at www.utarboretumsociety.org.