One of our “Cam in the Classroom” classes — Mrs. Matheson’s third-grade class – adopted Eastern Screech-owl Pignoli this year. Over the past two years, Mrs. Matheson has incorporated these animals into writing assignments, math lessons and quizzes, science lessons, and more. The Arizona-based class will have many lesson plans this year that are centered around Pignoli.
One assignment focused on narrative writing – with an emphasis on sequencing a story with a beginning, middle, and end. The class did some brainstorming about what might have brought Pignoli to the Wildlife Center … and here are the stories!
Pignoli Comes to the Wildlife Center
One fine October morning, a small Eastern Screech owl was flying along some railroad tracks. He was a young screech owl, just out of the nest for two months. He was happy that he didn’t have to listen to his mom and dad anymore.
He was flying along, with his i-phone out. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going because he was texting his friends to meet him at the Hollow Tree when it got dark. He crashed head first into a tree. Unconscious, he fell to the ground. He lay there in a pile of rufous feathers, helpless.
Shortly, two people came walking along the railroad tracks. They were looking at the beautiful fall colors.
“Amanda, what is that by that tree?” Jeff asked his friend.
They carefully approached the pile of feathers.
“Oh! It’s an owl!” exclaimed Amanda, “He looks hurt. We better take him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Dr. Dave will fix him right up.”
Jeff ran back to their car and got a box from the trunk. Amanda carefully placed to tiny owl into the box and carried it to the car. Jeff drove quickly to the Wildlife Center, where Dr. Dave examined the poor, injured owl. He was assigned patient number 03-2951
“He has some serious head trauma,” Dr. Dave told them, “I’m going to have to remove his right eye. It is too damaged, and I’m afraid he lost a lot of vision in the other eye, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Patient #03-2951 spent the winter at the Wildlife Center. He loved being there, although he couldn’t see very well. Dr. Dave finally decided that the tiny owl’s left eye was never going to heal. Since he had a sweet disposition, he thought the screech owl would make a wonderful ambassador.
“Okay, everyone,” Dr. Dave said during one of their weekly meetings, “Patient 03-2951 can’t be released, but I think he’d make a wonderful ambassador. Amanda has said she would be interested in working with him and teaching him how to work on the glove. Since he won’t be a patient anymore, we need to come up with a name for him. Any ideas?”
After some discussion about possible names, everyone agreed that Pignoli was the perfect nut-themed name for him. Amanda worked with him daily, teaching him to sit on her gloved hand. Pignoli loved Amanda’s soft voice and worked very hard to sit on the glove and be a good little owl. Now, nine years later, while he regrets his foolishness of texting while flying, he’s happy to have a home at the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
—Mrs. Matheson
Pignoli and his Rescuers
A tiny owl was flying in the sky. A great horned owl wanted to eat the tiny owl. The tiny owl flew so quickly so the great horned owl chased him, but he lost the tiny owl. The tiny owl landed on the train track. The train is coming!
The tiny owl saw the train and jumped out of the way just in time. His right eye was injured.
A woman found him. She took him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
The tiny owl woke up. He couldn’t see with his right eye. He saw a woman. She asked him, “What is your name?”
The tiny owl hooted.
The woman said, “I will call you Pignoli.”
Pignoli saw Edie, Buttercup, Gus, Ruby, Buddy, and Alex. Pignoli will live at the Wildlife Center of Virginia forever.
—Anonymous
A small eastern screech owl was flying and he crashed into a tree branch because he was not paying attention. Two people found the small owl they took him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia because damage his eye.
There was a man named Dr. Dave. He said, “I have to remove his eye.” So he removed the eye. It took one hour to take his eye. Dr. Dave was finished. Dr. Dave took him to a cage.
Next door was an owl. His name was Alex. Alex said, “Hi!”
The small owl said hi to Dr. Dave said, “We should name him Pignoli.”
The small owl said, “I like that name,” and Alex said, “Yeah, you’re right.”
And that is the story about how Pignoli got his name.
—Jose L.
A cute screech owl was not paying attention to where he was flying because he was talking with a cute girl owl. He crashed into a tree. The cute girl owl shouted, “Look out!” but he crashed and fell to the ground.
Some people found him and took him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Dr. Dave had to take his eye. They kept him forever. That is how he came to live at WCV.
—Esther
Pignoli saw his friend outside. He was happy. He turned around and fell to the ground. Pignoli was sad. The people said, “We need to take him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia.”
They take good care of him. He was adopted by Mrs. Matheson’s third grade class.
—Areli
One day a small owl was not paying attention to where he was going. He was looking for food. When he turned around he could not see and then he bumped into a tree. When he bumped into the tree, another owl got the food. Then the hurt owl was sad.
While the owl was on the ground, a guy found him and took him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. When the small owl woke up he was smelling fresh air and he was so happy he even felt warm. He couldn’t see but he had his favorite food – mice!
Dr. Dave was sad he had to take the little owl’s eye. He said, “We should make him an ambassador. Let’s call him Pignoli.”
Pignoli was happy because he had a home. He gets to teach people to be ice to animals like Alex.
—Aseret
He was flying and he was being chased by a great horned owl. He was looking back over his wing and wasn’t paying attention. He crashed into a tree.
He was laying on the ground when Miss Julia rescued him. The small owl was taken to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Miss Julia finds out they have to take out the small owl’s eye.
They decide to keep the small owl. They give the small owl a name and the name was Pignoli.
—Itzy
A screech owl was fighting with his sister in the fall. Because he wasn’t paying attention he crashed into a tree.
The people of the Wildlife Center of Virginia rescued him. They found him on the ground and took him to the center. They give him the name Pignoli. They don’t know if Pignoli is a boy or a girl. If Pignoli was paying attention, he would be with his family in the nest.
He lost an eye in October 2003. Pignoli can’t live in the forest. Pignoli now has friends and people to take care of him. Dr. Dave will always take care of Pignoli and feed him.
—Jhovany
One October night a great horned owl was chasing an eastern screech owl. The small owl bumped into a big tree and fell to the ground. The great horned owl couldn’t find him. He was covered with leaves. Just his back showed because he was hiding in the fallen leaves.
He got injured in his eye. They decided to keep him.
—Alejandro
One day an owl was fighting. Then his friend said, “Watch out for that tree!” He crashed into the tree. He felt dizzy from the hit for a week.
Somebody found him and took him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Dr. Dave looked at the owl and took care of him. He gave the owl water and food so he could get better. Dr. Dave found out that his right eye was hurt so that eye had to be taken out. The little owl gets better and has a new home at the Wildlife Center because he can’t see. Dr. Dave decides to keep him and name him Pignoli.
—Jimmy
Pignoli was flying in the sky. Then he crashed into a tree. First Pignoli is cute. He flies with one eye. He is a red owl. He has wings. He has pointy feet. He will sit on your hand.
—Jovany
A small owl was flying in the sky. His sister came by. His sister yelled, “Look out!” He crashed into a tree. He fell to the ground.
A man come to help. He picked up the small owl. He took him to the vet. At the Wildlife Center of Virginia the vet looked at the little owl and saw that his eye was hurt. Dr. Dave got the little owl to be better.
They not let him go because he can’t see. They name him Pignoli. He is famous because Mrs. Matheson’s class adopted him.
—America
One day, a small screech owl was fighting with his sister. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was flying and he crashed into a tree.
A family came along and rescued him from the ground. They saw his eye was injured from the crash. So the family took the small owl to Dr. Dave, a veterinarian at the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Dr. Dave took care of the owl’s tiny owl eye. He could fly, but he couldn’t see because his one remaining eye was hurt. So his home became the Wildlife Center of Virginia and Dr. Dave took care of him until he was fine.
He is fine but can’t see so he can’t go back to the forest. Dr. Dave will keep him forever.
—Jose R.
He and his sister were talking about who would get a mice for dinner.
He said, “I would get it. They were here.”
But his sister told him, “Look out!”
He crashed into a tree.
He was on the grass. His sister heard a noise. She flew away. A woman came. Her name was Dana. She saved his life. She took him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Dr. Dave thought the owl’s right eye was hurt. Dr. Dave decided to take him to surgery and they took out his right eye.
Because the small owl couldn’t see, they named him Pignoli. He became an ambassador at WCV. Dr. Dave made sure that Pignoli is healthy. Pignoli loves to be a WCV even if he can’t see his sister.
—Madeline