Exploring Nature: Pel's Fishing Owl

In my far-flung travels, I have seen some very interesting wildlife — everything from elephants and emus to giraffes and killer whales. But one creature that stays with me to this day was a very impressive owl.

I came across this owl in Africa, deep in a Kenyan forest along a flowing stream. We had enjoyed a banner day of animal sightings, including lions, warthogs and rhinos. Finally, as evening approached, we looked up in a towering tree and saw this large owl.

It was ginger-brown in color and about 2-feet tall. It was a handsome bird, but I was somewhat disappointed we had not encountered a more iconic animal, maybe a leopard or at least a big monkey.

But our guide was definitely impressed with this owl. “This is a Pel’s fishing owl,” he informed us. “It is very rare and many people would rather see it than any other African animal.”

So I took a closer look, noting the owl looked a lot like a large beehive, and also that it had a white throat and no ear tufts like those on most owls. It was indeed a very handsome specimen.

To this day, I treasure my one encounter with a Pel’s fishing owl. I learned it was named after Hendrik Pel, the Dutch governor of the Gold Coast, now Ghana, between 1840 and 1850.

The female owl lays one to two white eggs, which she also incubates. Only one chick usually survives to adulthood. I’m glad the owl I saw survived for me to see. It was a most impressive bird and I will never forget it.