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Feathered babies already?? Noooo!!!

2/2/2013

10 Comments

 
Yeah, that was my reaction when LWR received a downy great horned owl (GHO) on January 28. And not a hatchling, either—this guy was about a month old! A quick call to Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends raptor rehab confirmed my initial reaction that it was too early for downy babes—the earliest he’d seen downy GHOs prior to this was mid-February.  Add to that the fact that the January intake was 8—higher than January intakes for the previous two years, and it looks like my suspicion that 2013 is gonna be a hellacious year might be right!

Here’s a helpful hint with any downed and downy raptor—chances are, the parents are nearby and are feeding the baby on the ground. The person who found this grounded baby was very lucky that the adult GHOs didn’t attack her as she picked this fellow up, as GHOs are known to be especially aggressive in defending their nests and young.  Obviously, if the grounded baby shows signs of distress or is in imminent danger, by all means take action. But observe the situation for a while first, and you’re likely to see one or both of the parents providing food.

Luckily for this downy-butt, he wasn’t injured; vet Richie Hatcher of Smalley’s Animal Hospital loved examining those stubby wings full of blood feathers, though—we see GHOs this young only once or twice a year!

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Thanks to Richie Hatcher for snapping this photo!
At each feeding, this little fellow engaged in such typical downy GHO behavior that it was laughable. First, he sat and stared blankly—this is apparently a skill they master early, as adults are also excellent at the blank stare.

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Then he fell face-first into a nap, legs stretched out behind him and downy butt wiggling with each breath…

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Then he bowed up his stubby little wings in threat when I started to feed him…

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And then we were back to the blank stare!

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The little downy-butt is now with Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends, thanks to volunteers Laurie Jackson and Amy Rodgers, who transported for us. He was joined on the trip by both the gunshot red tails, who were ready for flight conditioning before release. You saw the success story on the female in the last update; we were able to celebrate another success story with the male. Below is his original x-ray.

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This is his x-ray from Jan. 23:

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And his final paranoid glare as I was getting him ready for transfer:

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LWR also received a HBC barred owl in late January. The rescuer saw the owl bounce off the vehicle in front of him and stopped to capture the concussed and wounded bird. Sadly, his wing was broken too near the joint to ever heal properly—see the x-rays below—so we euthanized.

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Closeup of shoulder fracture--barred owl
The gray squirrels have hit a shy phase now; below is the only halfway decent shot I’ve managed in the past two weeks. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, as they’re getting closer to release, I’ll be able to snag a few more good shots of the stubborn little rascals.

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10 Comments
Ida Blanche Suskind
2/2/2013 08:35:01 am

As always, a delight to hear what is happening at your 'house'! & Love the story of the the young horned owl - what a face! What an expression! Thank you!!!

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
2/2/2013 09:38:27 am

Thanks, Ida--he IS a cutie, isn't he? He's lucky Steve Hicks has a recovering adult GHO to place him with so he can learn to be a proper predator!

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Ann Feldman
2/2/2013 12:02:47 pm

Beautiful little owlet! And I am so happy that the Red-Tails healed well.

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
2/2/2013 02:48:56 pm

Thanks Ann! Latest word from Bubba & Friends is the male is already flying around the flight pen; female's a little uncertain still. Downy GHO is inside due to a cold snap here but doing well.

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neener
2/2/2013 03:03:24 pm

What a little fluffy butt!! Glad to hear he'll grow up to be a proper GHO :) Also good to hear that both of the RT are @ Bubba's as well <3 Too bad about the Barred owl tho...
Thanks again for all you do. Can you get a stamp for peoples' forehead? It could read " I didn't leave wildlife NOT IN NEED alone" It's just a thought... lol

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
2/2/2013 03:17:01 pm

LOL, Neener, I keep threatening to have a t-shirt made that reads "Please do NOT tell me about your illegal activities with wildlife" since total strangers seem to delight in telling me how they kept a songbird or squirrel or raptor once, and it always sets my teeth on edge because their final comment is either "we just put it out one day" or "it died."

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Anne Golden
2/3/2013 10:51:00 am

I agree heartily with all the comments by my fellow Pipsters. Bless you for the good work you do.

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
2/3/2013 01:04:17 pm

Thanks Anne!

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Pipette
2/13/2013 12:53:23 am

Wow, never a dull moment in your neck of the woods. That little GHO has quite a personality! It's interesting to see one so young at close range in your photos (even knowing that he will grow up to be a killer). Glad the RT's were good to go. And shy squirrels are adorable!

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
2/13/2013 03:07:25 am

Thanks Pipette! Actually I *do* have the occasional dull moment; since this update I've received phone calls but no intakes (and I probably just jinxed myself...).

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