A Young Owl’s Adventure

May 2

Several days after leaving its nest, one of the young Great Horned Owls that I had been watching, found itself grounded. Not yet able to fly on its own, the fledgling somehow ended up outside the fenced cemetery where it had been living with its sibling and parent. It was not just outside the wall. It was across the street in the paved parking lot. Thank goodness, it was late in the day and no cars were parked there.

The owl was noticed immediately by smaller birds. At the sight of a predator, piercing warning cries of resident blue jays set off a chorus of alarm calls by mockingbirds, catbirds, robins and chickadees. It was a ruckus that caught the attention of the closest neighbor, Bo Sullivan, who happened to be mowing his lawn. He stopped and went to the parking lot to determine what was happening.

Luckily for the grounded owl, it had found a friend. Not only is Bo the town’s resident expert on moth and butterfly taxonomy, he’s also experienced in handling birds, even owls. In fact, he told me he had once been involved in a project, netting and banding screech owls.

Launching a plan to rescue the young bird and return it to the Old Burying Ground, Bo enlisted the help of two neighbors: Tom Myers and Richard Forward, my husband. These three retired scientists managed to scoop the bird into a plastic trash can and slide a make-shift cover over the top, allowing air to circulate.

However, returning the owlet to the safety of the cemetery grounds presented a challenge. The gates were already locked for the day. The police were the only ones with keys, so they were called.

It was then that I arrived at the scene, perplexed at the sight of police cars and flashing lights. Why were three police officers standing in front of the cemetery gates with my husband and neighbors?

Once I was told what had happened, I immediately started taking pictures. The police were waiting for the local Animal Control Officer to arrive before proceeding with the release of the owl. When the lid was removed from the can, the terrified young owl started making distinctive clicking sounds, probably by snapping its beak. It didn’t appear to be injured at all.

Receiving an OK to go ahead without Animal Control, one of the officers unlocked the front gate and another carried in the trash can containing the trapped owl. Four of us neighbors followed behind and I pointed out the location of the nest tree. The owl’s sibling was spotted high in a tree and the can was placed just below it.

When released onto the ground, the owl raised its feathers to look bigger and more ferocious in a “threat” posture. It stood its ground with wings outspread, facing this group of giants.

You can see how the feathers have grown out at this stage of its development (compare to Owl Nest, Part 1 and Part 2). The fledgling must have been capable of flying. If this day represented its first attempt, hopefully it would have greater success on the next try.

We all stood around not sure what to do. It seemed best for us to leave as the police officers had the situation in hand. They remained with the owl, while maintaining phone contact with the Animal Control Officer. We were told someone would check on the owl later that night. If it was still on the ground and in distress, they would remove it and keep it locked up overnight.

The next day, I met the police officer as he unlocked the Old Burying Ground. He had been at the release the previous evening. I asked what happened after the rest of us left. He told me that they spotted the parent bird flying nearby. At that point, they felt satisfied that the young owl would be fine on its own. He then picked it up and placed it on a low branch and the officers departed as the sun was setting. Another animal rescue complete. All in a day’s work.

That morning, he and I looked briefly for any sign of the young owl. It was nowhere in sight. Obviously, it had moved away from the scene of the evening’s adventures.

Still curious, I came back later on my own, hoping to verify that the owl was well. I managed to locate both of the two young birds. There they were, high on a branch of the nest tree about 30 feet above the ground. They were once again huddled together, napping through the daylight hours. All was well once again.

It was as if that episode in the trash can never happened to that poor young creature. I couldn’t help wondering: How in the world did that young bird manage to get from a low branch up so high in the tree?

Maybe it could fly on its own after all.

For more photos of owls, please check out these posts…

• Owl Nest, Part 1 >>
• Owl Nest, Part 2 >>
• Great Horned Owls: First Encounter >>
• Great Horned Owls Nestlings >>