Second Chance Wildlife Rescue

This young Great Horned Owl came to us today after someone found it near a very tall tree. The rescuers weren't able to get it back in the tree so Animal Services brought it to us. He is flapping his wings and seems fine with no visible injuries. We fed him a nice rat for dinner. He will be going to the zoo tomorrow for further evaluation.

Whenever there are strong wind gusts, we know it's going to be a busy day. Today we received 15 nestlings and hatchlings! These babies were blown out of their nests last night or early this morning. Because they are so tiny, and totally dependent, they are hand fed every 15 to 20 minutes, from sunrise to about 8 p.m.---a significant time commitment!
We also received a nestling barn owl. It had a sibling but it died after being blown out of the tree. We kept the survivor overnight and delivered him to the zoo vet. We think he may be blind. Many of the very young owl nestlings do not see well. He was very dehydrated and hungry.
The barn owl is generally nocturnal, though it can sometimes be seen hunting during the day, or the early evening. It hunts by flying slowly, then hovering over a patch of ground that it believes may conceal prey. It may also find a tree or post to use as a lookout point so that it can scan for food. When it spots its prey, the barn owl can swoop down to grab the creature using its talons. Barn owls hunt over open fields, generally within a range of about a mile from their roosting or nesting site. As well as its good eyesight, the barn owl has extremely sensitive hearing, to help it hunt.