Have you ever gotten an unexpected guest during the holidays? Not from a family member or friend, but a baby owl?
Well, a yuletide guest was found nestled inside a Lexington family’s fully decorated Christmas tree.
“I was shocked,” Michele White said. “I was so stunned.”
The baby owl was discovered after four days while it blended in with the branches.
“I have three dogs,” White said. “We use this room non-stop — watch TV, the kitchen’s right here. No indication.”
Bobby Hayes, the owner of Magic Carpet Cleaning, saw the feathered bird while cleaning the home’s carpet while the family was away.
“The owl was literally sitting on a lower limb here,” he said.
Hayes said after plugging in a piece of equipment, he noticed the tree swaying and the owl on the prowl.
“It crawled up into the tree further,” Hayes said. “It took me several minutes to even find it.”
Hayes was able to grab the bird and send a photo to White.
“I thought he’d put a stuffed animal or an ornament in it, so I called him immediately. I’m like, ‘You’re kidding me, right?'” White said. “He was like, ‘No.'”
White now wants Hayes to be put on the ‘Nice List’ because she said if she had found the owl instead, she’d be hooting and hollering into the new year.
“I would have left the house,” said White. “The owl could’ve stayed without me. I wasn’t coming home.”
The baby bird was unharmed, and Hayes released it into the family’s backyard, but sure enough it was pining for a wooded place again.
“Everybody’s going to be able to have a merry Christmas now,” Hayes said.
Because of the surprise visit from the baby owl, White, who needlepoints Christmas ornaments in her free time, is now inspired to stitch an owl one for the tree.
Source: Fox8