Owls at Quogue Wildlife Refuge event

Quogue Wildlife Refuge is spotlighting a species of wildlife that’s rarely seen — but sometimes heard — on suburban Long Island.

At the /Live Owls! presentation, three owls from the refuge’s wildlife complex will be blinking, craning their necks and maybe even hooting for the crowd.

“Our program is to help inform the public about our native species of owls on Long Island, about their habitats, their diet, where you can find them, as well as ways people can potentially help” the birds survive in their natural habitats, says refuge environmental educator and artist Tony Valderrama.

Many suburban yards harbor an owl, Valderrama says. “If there’s a tree with a cavity in the backyard,” that could play home to an eastern screech owl. Not to worry, he adds — owls are beneficial to homeowners because they hunt rats and mice.

WHOSE HOO?

During the hourlong presentation, each owl takes a turn perching on Valderrama’s hand protected by a special leather gauntlet. He’ll walk among the audience members, offering a rare close-up of the birds’ talons, feathers and famously wide eyes.

The birds of prey will include a great horned owl that has lived at the refuge since 2004 and is estimated to be 20 years old. Although wild birds aren’t generally given names, this one earned the nickname, Hooter. “He does hoot a lot,” Valderrama said.

Filling out the trio are two adult eastern screech owls brought to the refuge in 2012 that currently share an enclosure. Valderrama will help audience members identify their calls to be able to identify what kind of owls they might be hearing at night.

To contrast nocturnal-hunting owls’ facial structures with other birds of prey, Valderrama will display a red-tailed hawk, which hunts in the daytime.

Audience members can expect a serious message along with a few owlish puns.

“I’ll bring up the idea of preservation for the habitats of screech owls and what we can do to help,” Valderrama says. Or, as he laughs, “At the end of the program I say they all need to give a hoot.”

HIT THE TRAILS

To see other native animal species, visit the Outdoor Wildlife Complex, located a short walk from the nature center. About 15 animals, which because of permanent injuries can’t survive in natural habitats, live in enclosures, says Marisa Nelson, a naturalist. The sheltered animals include a bald eagle that has lived at the refuge since 1988, two red foxes and a peregrine falcon.

Or, arrive early and hike the 305-acre preserve’s seven nature trails. The snow-covered pine barrens scenery includes “lots of greenery here in the wintertime, including pine trees and evergreen shrubs such as inkberry,” Nelson says.

Visitors can also go cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the free admission trails, which remain open, daily from sunrise to sunset.