Arizona: Sick owl rescued by construction worker

ARIZONA -- There are efforts underway to nurse an owl back to health, after it was found, in distress, at a construction site in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood.

It was an unbelievable moment," said Michael Keith. "I kept talking to the bird. I said, 'I'm your friend', and it never got excited. Never flustered. It was an unbelievable experience."

The owl turned out to be a Great Horned Owl, and it was spotted on the floor of the garage by construction workers.

Keith went to his truck to get gloves, and was able to safely retrieve the bird. He knew immediately the bird was sick or injured.

 

"I held it for a while and looked at it," said Keith. "I realized it was in a stupor. Could have been poison."

The owl may have been poisoned by poisons intended for Roof Rats that are endemic to the area.

The owl, since named "Wood", was taken to Wild At Heart Animal Rescue in Cave Creek.

"He's looking. His eyes aren't as dilated. So he has a good chance of recovery," said Bob Fox with Wild At Heart Animal Rescue.

Wood is alive, but Fox said his situation is still dicey.

 

  

(Fox10 - Feb 15, 2017)

New York: Ogden officer rescues owl hanging upside down, tangled in fishing line

NEW YORK -- Ogden police Officer Travis Gray this week added “owl” to the list of animals he has rescued under bizarre circumstances.

Representatives at Homesteads for Hope, a nonprofit working with those with intellectual disabilities, called the state Department of Environmental Conservation from the organization's Ogden location Tuesday about an owl hanging from a tree by its wing near the Erie Canal.

 

Gray went to check it out, and found a great horned owl caught in fishing line dangling over the water.

“It looks like someone cast a line, it caught in a tree, and the owl clotheslined it with its wings,” said Gray. Those at Homesteads estimated that the bird had been there overnight, he said. The owl has lived near the property for years, but was hardly ever seen, said Homesteads founder Jennyrae Brongo.

The Homesteads location's original owner held the bird in a net while Gray cut the line from its wing — Gray's body camera caught the whole thing on video.

The oddity of the situation hit Gray mid-task — “You never even see owls … and I’m there touching an owl,” he said.

 

The bird was clearly scared and angry, and Gray had his baton out in case the owl went berserk after being cut free.

What was he going to do? Beat it to death? Seriously. It would've flapped away and probably landed in the water if it couldn't fly.

As soon as the line came loose, the owl relaxed, but it didn’t fly away. Gray realized it looked hurt, and called Black Creek Wildlife Station to assist the bird.

Soon wildlife staff picked up the owl to be rehabilitated, and they are hopeful the bird can be released back into the wild in a few weeks, said Jennyrae Brongo.

Gray rescued a turtle and a pigeon from deadly traffic in the past, plus handling routine dog, cat and deer calls, he said — there’s a running joke among other department personnel about his apparent affinity for animal emergencies.

“These are just normal things that any decent person would do,” he said.

Update on the Owl!
It is at Churchville Veterinary Hospital, P.C. - Under the care of Gary Zimmerman with his team at Black Creek Wildlife Station - We are hoping for a quick recovery so he can be released into his natural habitat! Thank you Again to Officer Grey with the Town of Ogden Police Department for responding to this call! #H4HCommunityFarm

(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Sept 14, 2016)

Colorado: Officers save great horned owl caught in barbed wire

COLORADO -- Earlier this week Fremont County Sheriff's Office Deputies responded to a report of an owl stuck in a fence.

  

 

The look on his face says it all :)

Upon arrival, Deputies requested Division Of Wildlife Officer Holder to respond.

Officer Holder responded and was able to get the owl out of the fence and it was taken to a local rehab center to be checked out!

It is great to have the partnership and working relationship we do with our local Wildlife Officers.

 

(Fremont County Sheriff's Office Facebook - Aug 25, 2016)

Maryland: Volunteers come together to rescue baby great horned owl, which had fallen out of its nest

MARYLAND -- “That looks like a weird rock.”

That’s the thought that went through Potomac resident Ann Fleming’s head when she spotted something on the ground near her home on Tuesday.

Fleming was out walking her dogs, and something about the thing on the ground made her take a closer look– that’s when she noticed that the thing she thought was a rock was staring back at her.

“I saw these two big eyes looking back at me!” she said. It wasn’t a rock, it was a young great horned  owl.

Fleming, an animal lover, worried that the owl might be injured, but didn’t want to just scoop it up. She’d heard about Second Chance Wildlife Rescue,  so she called them and was referred to Montgomery County Animal Services. She was told it could be a while before an officer could get to Potomac, so she and her brother took turns watching over the owl.

“We did a little security watch, because we do have foxes in the neighborhood and I was so worried about this little baby owl,” Fleming said.

When Montgomery County Animal Services Officer Lavonia Byrd showed up, Fleming says Byrd sized up the situation. She determined the young owl was days away from being able to fly, and the exposure to foxes and other predators was too great a risk.

 

So the little raptor was collected and another link in the local wildlife rescue network was contacted:  Suzanne Shoemaker at Owl Moon Raptor Center, a non-profit that rescues and rehabilitates birds of prey, was called in and took over.

The bird, a great horned owl, was looked after, checked for injuries and by Friday, plans for the bird’s return to its nesting site were finalized.

Early Friday morning, a team of volunteers gathered at the foot of the tree where the owl’s nest had been. A specially-assembled simulated nest was constructed using a laundry basket lined with organic materials. The “nest” was hoisted up and fastened to the tree with the help of Mike Fried, a Frederick county arborist who frequently volunteers with Shoemaker’s organization. He says he not only loves trees, but the birds who make their homes up in their branches.

Once the nest was secured, it was time to hoist the little bird to its perch.  Fleming said it was great to see the young owl—they don’t know whether it’s male or female—placed safely in the nest.  But Fleming says she won’t relax just yet—it turns out the rescued owl has a sibling, who was doing just fine, exploring branches on the tree.

Shoemaker says both owl parents were in the area, checking in on their babies, and that sometimes, separated siblings will find each other and end up in the new nest. Fleming says that’s her hope. In the meantime, she says “I’m going to be on Owl Baby Two watch. They’re just adorable.”

 

Yikes, look how high up it is!

Shoemaker says she and her volunteers from Owl Moon Raptor Center will be monitoring the site with Fleming’s help—just in case.

Fleming has spent the better part of this past week making sure that the owl would be taken care of, despite having a busy schedule herself. She could have just left the owl, but says “I’m just not one of those people. I have to help out—I’m an animal lover.”

Fleming has three rescue dogs at home, but says her love of animals extends beyond her front door.

Great people who came together to save one little owl

“We live in a beautiful area—we have so much nature around us. I think it’s our responsibility to help out”  and referring to her wild neighbors, Fleming says, “It’s really their territory –we’ve moved into it.”

Editors’s note: If you find a wild animal in the city that needs help, animal care programs like City Wildlife are here to help. Even though your intentions are good, caring for an orphaned or injured animal can sometimes hurt them instead.

(WTOP - April 8, 2016)

New Hampshire: Families gather to watch rehabilitated owl be released back into the wild

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- More than 50 people gathered in the cold and biting winds behind Danville Elementary School on Saturday afternoon to give a rehabilitated great horned owl a proper New Hampshire send-off.

Many were armed with cameras to capture the moment when the owl, who got himself into trouble when he tried to grab dinner in a nearby duck pen, was released back into the wild.

“It's always a good feeling to be able to help something wild and turn it back,” said Sheila Johannesen, the town's animal control officer.

The mature owl spent the past two weeks with wildlife rehabilitator Jane Kelly of Epping after it suffered an injury when it got caught in wire on the top of a pen at the Dorow home on nearby Cobblers Ridge Road.

Dan Dorow and his son, Luke, 9, were among the spectators on hand to watch the owl take flight.

Dorow said the owl had killed one of his ducks and then struck again two days later when it got into the pen and left a second duck dead.

The owl was injured in the second attack, but the Dorows didn't want to see it suffer despite their loss. They immediately called for help.

“We've lost ducks to predators, but we're understanding of it. It's nature. Everybody has to eat,” he said.

Johannesen and Fish and Game Conservation Officer Chris McKee were called to the Dorow home to help the injured owl.

“When we found it, it was bleeding from just above its beak, right between the eyes, and it was a little malnourished,” McKee said.

Kelly said the owl has abrasions on both eyes and its toe.

The owl was successfully treated with antibiotics and recuperated with help from Kelly, who runs On the Wing Wildlife Rehabilitation.

“He's been hooting. He's been calling his mate. He's ready to go,” she said.

The crowd watched with excitement as McKee set the owl free. The owl flew into the woods and perched high up in a tree behind the school as the people below snapped photos.

Dave and Pam Solomon of Sandown brought their 3-year-old daughter, Phoebee, who climbed up on her dad's shoulders to watch the release.

“We have barred owls in our area but I've never seen a great horned owl,” Pam said.

Allison Yeagle of Brentwood also brought her kids.

“I was amazed at how many people were here. I think it's great,” she said.

(Union Leader - Jan 23, 2016)

Injured Great Horned Owl released after rehab

SOUTH CAROLINA -- A Great Horned Owl that was rescued with fish hooks in its feet was released back into the wild on Wednesday.

Mercedes Curry, president of Paws Animal Wildlife Sanctuary, said the owl was found with its head barely above water when people fishing nearby noticed it and went to its aid.

 

The animal was then taken in by Paws Animal Wildlife Sanctuary in Waterloo, where they named the owl "Lure," Curry said.

Curry said they had to cut the ends of the hooks off in order to remove them.

The Great Horned Owl got stuck while going after what he thought was food but turned out to be the lure. Curry said the owl would not normally fish in water as deep as he did but she said he was emaciated and desperate for food.

The owl underwent rehabilitation and was released back into the wild on Wednesday with two other Great Horned Owls, who were also at Paws.

(Fox Carolina - Sept 5, 2013)

Owl rescued from soccer net

WISCONSIN -- Here are some "great" photos from a Great Horned Owl rescue!

Our intern David and our animal keeper Amy were alerted to this little guy in need of help thanks to some concerned citizens who called the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.

Since the owl was just leaving the nest and was not quite on his own, we added him to our rehab brood of young Great Horned Owls that have been rescued this spring.

This rescued owl is doing well and is on his way to recovery, thanks to our dedicated R-PAWS volunteers and from your support!

(Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary - June 9, 2011)