Community Corner

Hotel Gives a Hoot About Summer Guests

Six baby barn owls have taken up residence on a balcony of the airport Marriott Hotel; because they are a protected species, they get an extended stay.

On these warm summer nights, with windows open and the wind at bay, you can often hear them---the equally spaced, mildly haunting hoots (and sometimes hissing screeches) of owls.

Of the eight species of owls in the Bay Area, barn owls are the most common and they take up residence in just about any place that looks comfortable--tree hollows, attics, barns--or, in the case of the popular family of birds of prey near SFO, hotel balconies.

As reported in the USA Today Saturday, a family of six baby barn owls has checked itself in to a nest the 11th Concierge Floor balcony, much to the delight of staff, guests and media.

Find out what's happening in Belmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Fortunately for the owls, they are a protected native birds of prey, so they get to stay at the Marriott for as long as they like. The hotel turned to the wildlife experts at the , who explained that because of their protected status, the birds were not to be disturbed.

"Even when we're sold out at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront, the owl family is not relocated to another property," hotel general manager Clif Clark says in a press release.

Find out what's happening in Belmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The article explains that the six babies are somewhat on a summer vacation of their own--the mother and father owls are residing elsewhere, but visit the nest of their offspring daily and the babies are maintaining a healthy size.

The adorable family of owls, noted for their white breast and underwings and white, round, almost animated faces, have become quite a popular attraction at the hotel, however, hotel staff need not worry about being summoned to the balcony to deliver room service however--the owls prefer a diet of gophers, rats, and mice--food that they are quite adept at finding for themselves.

As potential long-term guests, the owls have been given names: Hoot, Nanny, Al, Peter Townsend, Robert Plant, Hedwig and Archimedes.

Like Belmont Patch on Facebook | Follow Belmont Patch on Twitter | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for Belmont Patch


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here