Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
WHAT NOW? Barred Owl Experience
When I went inside the owl cage to give my recuperating Barred Owl his chicken thighs he really startled me by suddenly flying from one side of the cage to the other right over my shoulder. The cage (kennel) is only 6’x10’ about 6’ tall so an owl with a three foot wing span flying over your shoulder is what I call highly stimulating. This was the first time he flew since I had rescued from the highway four weeks earlier.
At that time he was in shock with a concussion and a large wound on his wing where he had apparently been hit by a car. He was sitting in the middle of the highway in a daze. I did not have my animal containment tools or cages with me so I had to use my coat to wrap him up and hope he did not get loose in the vehicle on the way home. I tried not to think about what could happen with a large injured wild Raptor got loose in my vehicle as I tried to keep my concentration on the dark winding mountain.
Since I no longer had a coat on I was particularly vulnerable to his 3/4” talons. Every time I heard a rustle from the back seat I’d envision him lining up his powerful beak on my ears for a midnight snack.
We got home without incident and I treated his wounds with Neosporin. I gave him three days antibiotic and stress (steroid) injections. He had no visible broken bones but was comatosed. Swelling around the brain can cause everything from blindness to disorientation. Steroids given the first few days are very effective in reducing swelling and can have miraculous results.
I had to force feed him the first few days until he came out of his stupor most likely the result of shock and concussion. Force feeding an owl is also highly stimulating, you have to hold his upper beak with your fingers and tilt his head back until he opens his mouth. You then get to stick a piece of raw chicken about the size of a finger into his mouth and pull your finger out before his reflex causes him to snap his razor sharp beak shut. Since both top and bottom bill are pointed to facilitate tearing flesh there is not a lot of room for error.
By the third day he would take food out of my hand voluntarily. This is not to say he was tame, an animal in shock can appear quite calm giving the illusion he is tame but this can change at any second.
The last three weeks he was fully recovered from the concussion and all I had to do was leave a couple chicken thighs in the cage each night. He would eat everything to the bare bone. (Talk about a sharp and powerful beak)
The first attempt to release him was unsuccessful. He was only able to fly more than a few yards to the ground so I returned him to the kennel to recuperate further.
In rehabilitation class they claim the animals will tell you when they are ready to go and Mr. Owl was obviously ready. Seeing him fly around his cage buzzing my ears after staying immobile for almost four weeks was a pretty clear message.
The trick was to capture a now full healthy owl without hurting him or myself. It would be terrible to injure him by getting him panicked in the confines of the cage.
As I entered the kennel and closed the door behind me I started thinking about ear snacks again. I covered his head with a towel which caused him to remain still and I was able to pick him up pinning his wings from behind to avoid talons and beak either of which could cause significant injury.
Owls can be particularly difficult because they can turn their head 180 degrees which causes two problems, one you cannot tell front from back with a towel over their head, and two when you take the towel off they can turn their head around behind them and snap at your hands. It takes a lot of confidence in your training to not panic when they pull this exorcist routine on you.
All went very well and fortunately for me the Barred Owl species is no where near as aggressive and ferocious as the Great Horned Owl I had worked with a few months ago. Horned owls are nick named “Tigers of the sky” and have been known to chase eagles off their nest to take over the nest.
I uncovered and released my patient. He hopped from my gloved hand to my leather sleeved arm. He calmly looked me over one last time making direct eye contact as if to say “What now?” He flew to the ground and I began to wonder if this would be a repeat of the last release attempt.
I went inside to get my camera and when I returned he immediately flew up into a tree before I could get a photo. He sat there for a few minutes watching me and then flew away into the late afternoon sky. I felt really fulfilled and as I walked into the house I felt my ears noticeably relax.
A few facts about owls.
All Owls are protected by both State and Federal laws.
Owls have incredible night vision. A person with comparable sight could read a newspaper by candlelight from the opposite end of a football stadium.
Owls fly silently, no wing flutter like other birds due to very soft downy feathers.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
