St. Louis Naturalist to Share Info about Great Horned Owls at Upcoming Library Programs
Mark H.X. Glenshaw visits Forest Park about 300 nights a year to study its owls. With two local library programs ahead, learn more about the observations he plans to share with audiences.
Forest Park Owls: Naturalist Mark H.X. Glenshaw on Charles the owl and Upcoming Library Programs
ALTON/BETHALTO - Award-winning naturalist Mark H.X. Glenshaw will present two local programs about Great Horned Owls in Forest Park.
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At 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Hayner Public Library District’s Alton Square Mall location, Glenshaw will give his presentation “Forest Park Owls: Hunting and Feeding.” This will be followed by his presentation “Forest Park Owls: Hiding in Plain Sight” at 1 p.m. on Nov. 21, at the Bethalto Public Library. Both events promise to share more about the local owls that Glenshaw has been studying for over 20 years.
“My first sighting [of the Great Horned Owls] was so amazing, it completely took my love of Forest Park and its wildlife, which was already substantial, and poured gasoline on the fire, and boom,” he said. “It’s just taken off and continues to grow and expand in new ways.”
Glenshaw studied history at Washington University in St. Louis and was interested in wildlife, but he had no real passion for owls until his early 30s. One night when he was walking through Forest Park, he heard the owls “hooting” and followed the sound until he discovered Charles, a Great Horned Owl that lives in the park.
In the 20 years since then, Glenshaw has developed a deep fascination for these owls. He studies Charles closely and has watched him through eight mates and 27 owlets.
“Forest Park is, of course, home to the Muny and the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival,” Glenshaw said. “But, no offense to the Muny or the festival, there’s drama in Forest Park all year long.”
Glenshaw goes out to Forest Park about 300 nights a year to study Charles and his companions. He also offers Owl Prowls, where community members can join him in his studies of Charles and company. Glenshaw enjoys connecting with the community and bringing them out to Forest Park to see the owls for themselves.
But he also appreciates the chance to present information about the owls at places like Hayner Library and Bethalto Public Library. The upcoming presentations promise to dig into the owls’ hunting and feeding habits — “a very meaty subject,” Glenshaw joked — as well as more general information about how the owls live.
Glenshaw cares deeply about these animals, and he hopes to inspire others to study nature. He noted that you don’t need a degree to be a naturalist or care about the world around you.
“One of the coolest things about studying owls is that an average night is amazing. It’s a total contradiction. I mean, how many things in life are average and amazing?” he added. “But then you have the amazing nights, and you are grasping for words to describe it.”
You can find out more about Glenshaw and the owls at his official Instagram profile. To schedule an Owl Prowl, you can contact him directly at mglenshaw@gmail.com or check out his official Facebook page. He encourages people to come out to the upcoming presentations to learn more.
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