A Christmas Miracle: Small Owl Rescued from Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree After Traveling 170 Miles

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was delivered to downtown Manhattan recently, and it was discovered carrying a stow-away in its massive branches.

The tiny owl – who has taken on the nickname ‘Rockefeller’ – was found by a worker for the company who transports and secures the giant-sized Christmas tree early last week. It was dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise in okay condition, said Ellen Kalish, director and founder of the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties, New York, where the bird was eventually taken.

Rockefeller is an adult male Saw-whet owl, one of the smallest owls, Kalish pointed out. According to the Facebook post from the wildlife center, he’s fairly young, too.

The worker who discovered the little fella in the called his wife, who then called the wildlife center and told them they had a baby owl in a box for the long ride back home from Manhattan. This caught the attention of the wildlife worker, because baby owls are typically all born in the spring, so it didn’t quite add up that there would be a baby owl in the middle of November.

So somebody from the wildlife center agreed to meet them halfway to exchange the tiny Saw-whet owl.

“Once secured, I peaked in the box and saw this little face looking up at me,” the wildlife center staff member wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile back at the center, the stow-away from upstate has been on the road to recovery, and could even take flight back to the wild this week.

“He’s had a buffet of all-you-can-eat mice, so he’s ready to go,” Kalish said.

What a hoot

The 77-foot Norway spruce that Rockefeller hitched a ride on was brought to Manhattan from Oneonta, New York. It will sit in New York City’s Rockefeller Center where it will be decorated and lit for the public in early December. And as an ode to the bird who once called the tree home, it only seems appropriate to hang an owl ornament from one of its branches. Just my two cents!

OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow

Keenan Crow is an outdoor writer who graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. He has been writing for OutdoorHub for nearly five years, but anybody he is close with will tell you he has been telling hunting stories for far longer. He uses his experiences outdoors to write about things he loves - bow hunting, fishing, upland hunting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, dog training, shotguns, ATVs and the outdoor lifestyle he lives in his home state of Michigan. Outside of hunting/fishing, he also loves to cook - especially with wild game - play golf and go on hikes with his yellow lab, Stella.