Shoppers find sleeping owl on East Durham store shelf
Published on:
February 27, 2026
Staff were alerted by customers who reported “something extremely lifelike” on a shelf next to a chicken shaped cookie jar. DEC photo.
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EAST DURHAM―Shoppers at an indoor flea market got quite a hoot last week when they made an unusual find: a live owl perched on one of the shelves.
No, the owl was not for sale and it remains unclear how it found its way into The Market Place on State Route 145 back on February 21.
Staff were alerted by customers who reported “something extremely lifelike” next to a chicken shaped cookie jar, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
Environmental conservation officers were called to the market and found the nocturnal Eastern Screech Owl with its eyes closed and fast asleep.
Officer Darren Milliron "gently cradled the sleeping owl to remove it from the store," DEC reported. The owl was released into a nearby wooded area where it flew away into a tree.
Eastern Screech Owls are fairly common across New York State, DEC says.
A small owl with yellow eyes and ear tufts, they grow to a length of about 10 inches with a wingspan of around 22 inches. Their preferred habitat is a mix of woods and open area and they typically nest or roost in the holes of trees or nest boxes, “not store shelves,” according to DEC.
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