Chain of care leads to upcoming release of two great horned owls rescued near Verona

Julie Druker | Sep 16, 2015

It was a lucky day for two young great horned owlets back in May 2015, when Verona area resident Bill Kendall was out for his regular walk on a trail located on an old farm property near his home. Bill, who is an amateur photographer, had been regularly watching a great horned owl nest that contained young ones in a tree, but on May 12, his eye noticed from afar that “the profile of the nest had changed and it also appeared to be vacant.”

Hiking in for a closer look, Bill noticed a baby great horned owl on the ground. “It looked okay but not having had any experience with this kind of thing, I raced home to see if I could find someone local to give me some direction.”

An internet search got Bill in touch with Connie Black of Destined to Fly, a native baby song bird rehabilitation facility that she runs in Yarker. Bill recalled that “Connie dropped everything and came straight over to assess the situation and take action.” After placing the owlet in a carrier the two did one final sweep of the area and came across a second owlet at the base of the tree.

I spoke to Connie earlier this week and she recalled that both owlets had blood around their ears and she knew they were not candidates for re-nesting and in fact “needed more medical attention than I could give”. Further, she realized they would likely end up at the Owl Foundation in Vineland, Ontario.

In the meantime, Connie knew, as a former volunteer with the Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre in Napanee, that there the owlets would receive immediate care they needed until they could make the trip to Vineland. So she called Sue Meech at Sandy Pines, who told her to bring the birds right over. There the young birds, which were badly dehydrated, very thin and had maggots in their ears (all signs that they had not been parented for at least three or four days) were treated by veterinarian technologist Leah Birmingham.

They stayed at Sandy Pines until a lift could be arranged and arrived at the Owl Foundation on May 16, where they have been ever since, receiving both treatment and training.

Located on the Niagara Peninsula halfway between Hamilton and Niagara falls, the Owl Foundation has been in existence since the 1970s and specializes in rehabilitating and fostering all species of Ontario owls. Annick Gionet Rollick is one of two wildlife rehabilitators/zoologists who have been caring for the birds since their arrival. At that time they were just 4.5 or 5 weeks old but are now doing extremely well.

On their first day the owlets were introduced to Big Red, a female adult great grey owl and foster mom at the center. She had been brought to the center with injuries preventing her from ever returning to the wild but she proved a viable candidate for fostering.

Staff at the center understand that minimal contact with humans is the best way to successfully reintroduce orphaned birds to the world. Big Red's fostering involves feeding the owlets dead mice and eventually they are introduced to live prey, which Rollick said they instinctively know how to kill. Currently the two siblings, one male and one female, are hunting and eating white mice and will graduate to hunting more difficult to see brown mice, then rats and then quail. This training process continues until staff at the center feel the owls, which are now juveniles at 5.5 months old, show they are confident and able hunters.

The two are expected to be released sometime in October approximately 2-5 km from where they were found in the Verona area. Rollick said this is to ensure that they are not entering a territory possibly still inhabited by one or two of their parents, who may or may not still be living. “If the adult(s) are still there they will push the young ones out so we want to ensure that they are released into a large nearby forested area that can accommodate them.”

Staff at the center use satellite imagery on the day of release and look at various locations in that range. They also speak to the owlets’ finder to try to make sure that they are released where there is little danger from people, cars or other factors.

Asked if their release will be followed up by staff, Rollick said that though they both are banded with US fish and wildlife bands, the numbers on the bands are difficult to see so it is highly unlikely that the birds could be tracked.

Nevertheless it will be a happy day for all involved. Connie Black of Destined to Fly said she was thrilled to be part of the rescue. I was not able to speak with Sue Meech but Bill Kendall, who found the owlets, will definitely be present for their release. Kendall had nothing but praise for the people who came forward to care for the birds. The fact that these two young struggling owls received care from this network of individuals, which will end up in their release back into the wild, is remarkable.

The Owl Foundation is an excellent resource for those who may come across injured or young birds. Rollick was quick to stress that all young birds found on the ground do not require assistance. “Just because a bird is found on the ground does not means that it is not getting parental care.” She encourages people to monitor the situation and to visit their website, which includes a list of observations to note before calling the center. Also soon to be included on the Owl Foundation's website is an in-depth instruction manual titled “I Found an Owl, Now What?” It provides photos, questions and guides to dealing with the situation and prepares finders with a list of observations to note prior to calling the foundation. To learn more about the foundation visit www.theowlfoundation.ca.

I have included the contact information for the other centers mentioned in this article. Destined to Fly, native baby song bird rescue, 613-331-5191, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre (for all species), 613-354-0264 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The two owlets, May 16, 2015; photo courtesy of Connie Black of Destined to Fly