That, y’all, is a summary of the past two weeks. Oh, y’all want details? If y’all insist…
The barred owl was released, flew to the ground, and then, when I went to recapture him, decided he was having none of that and took off for the nearest tree.
The barred owl was released, flew to the ground, and then, when I went to recapture him, decided he was having none of that and took off for the nearest tree.
The red shoulder flubbed his release completely. Really—he flew to the ground, sat there, and flipped over on his back in defensive mode when I went to recapture him. Thing is, he can fly, and fly well, in the flight. I’ve watched him fly from one end to the other—multiple times. But take him out of the flight and attempt release, and it’s like he forgets what his wings are for. I’ve consulted with other raptor rehabbers and the general consensus seems to be that he might have some depth perception issues caused by the severity of his malnutrition on intake. Recall, if you will, he was so starvation thin on intake I honestly didn’t expect him to survive the night.
At any rate, last week was too rainy to try again, and today has been too windy. So this week at some point we’ll try again. Perhaps the third time will be the charm?
At any rate, last week was too rainy to try again, and today has been too windy. So this week at some point we’ll try again. Perhaps the third time will be the charm?
The bird en route is an owl. The finders called it a barn owl, then said it was small and “likely young,” so who knows? People call barreds barnies all the time, and are forever claiming adult screeches are “young” barreds. The more pressing issue, and the one that boils my blood, is that they’ve had the owl for THREE DAYS. Specifically, they think it has “a minor wing injury,” admit they “have no idea how to take care of it,” and say the injury “happened three days ago” when the bird was “tapped by a car.” THREE DAYS, y’all. THREE DAYS. With the utmost effort, I’ll refrain from further comment (because all my other comments at the moment seem to consist of guttural screams, which don't translate well to print), aside from urging anyone who finds injured wildlife of ANY species to seek a licensed rehabber IMMEDIATELY—no delays. A delay, especially a three-day delay, could well be the difference between life and death for that wildlife. Hopefully it won’t be too late for this owl of as-yet indeterminate species.
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