Great Horned Owlet Rescue

It is 7:00 am on Tuesday morning, and all is fine in the Amity Forest and nest tree, but there are now two nests, not one.  Since 4 pm yesterday afternoon I have very busy. Apparently some time yesterday Fuzz Ball the First fell out of its nest. This little guy is just that … very small / young. The owlet does not have any flight feathers, nor was it yet branching. Upon inspection, the bird did not appear to have any injuries, but also was NOT capable to climbing 80 feet back up into the white pine tree (or any tree for that matter).

The Final Photograph … A Happy Owlet in its new nest.

Fuzz Ball joined Molly for me as a guest for supper, and after dinner the construction of owl platform version 1.0 began. Just before sunset the little guy was placed in its new nest … about 50 feet below its Mom and sibling.

At 4:30 am this morning I finally gave up trying to sleep, and got up shortly thereafter. I made my first visit to “owl chair nest” around 5:30 am. The owlet quickly glanced over and stared at me. Hopefully Mom came down and fed it last night.

Yesterday in pictures. Molly is the photographer using her iPhone (see her blog).

The Rescue (wearing my raptor gloves … now used during four rescues)

Owl Nest V1.0

I constructed the nest out of available material. I realized the chair would rest securely against the white pine’s trunk if I could attach “the nest” firmly enough to the tree. Materials were a lawn chair, a very thick packing pad and bungees. I used the packing pad (secured to chair) to provide both bedding and ensure talons would not get caught in the chair’s webbing. The nest ended up higher than the images show, but not as high as I would prefer, but my own safety was also important. The key point is the owlet is well off the ground and easily reachable by Mom Owl. The chair’s armrest provide landing perches. I actually thought all of this through before starting construction.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

12 thoughts on “Great Horned Owlet Rescue

  1. Well done!
    Looking forward to seeing photos of baby with family! I’m hopeful that we will see a victory!

  2. You make such a good surrogate “Mom” to this little guy/gal. Thank you for being a care giver to our wildlife & to your wife for being the great photographer.

  3. Wow! What a story particularly for the “Owl Guy”! Being from the north woods, I was involved in a couple situations where animal offspring were abandoned by accident or other. Hopefully, the owl parents except your intervention (and no raccoon or other animal finds the owlet) and you’re not faced with a decision to feed or not feed the owlet yourself.

  4. Great job, Rich! (Though I can’t believe there was no duct tape —the handyman’s friend— involved.

  5. Love your ingenuity! You’ll have to keep us up to date on Mom’s activities with the two nest challenge. Maybe Dad will sit on one during tonight’s chilly. forecast.
    Great photos, too. Thx Molly.

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