Month: May 2016

On April 3rd, 2016 we released two Eastern Screech Owls at Harrison Bay State Park. The two red morph screech owls were rehabilitated by our raptor specialist, Alix Parks and banded by Ornithologist Dr. David Aborn of UTC.

Two nest boxes were installed by Park Ranger Matt Vawter and we had quite a crowd of onlookers when it came time for the release.

Alix and apprentice rehabber, Lisa Schott, gave the owls a simultaneous toss into the air and the owls flew instinctively into the nearby tree line. They perched briefly to assess their surroundings before disappearing into the woods.

We’d like to thank everyone that came out and a very special “Thank You” to Amigo Mexican Restaurant for sponsoring the release.

April typically marks the beginning of a busy baby season, and with that comes the opportunity to reunite displaced hatchlings and nestlings with their parents.

Tree cutters trimmed a tree, causing a dove’s nest to fall to the ground. One of the babies died from the fall, but the homeowner knew to warm the other one up to prevent shock. After it was warmed up, he tried to renest the dove in a box up in the tree.

Even though the parents were nearby, they wouldn’t go to the baby. After watching the baby all day, the finder called Sherry for help.  Sherry advised him how to keep it comfortable overnight. He brought the hungry nestling to her the next morning for an exam.

Sherry hydrated and fed the dove to ensure it would keep its strength up until the parents returned. After taking a full bottle of formula, the baby dove was ready to be renested.

This time, the homeowner placed the baby in a coconut fiber hanging basket, as advised by Sherry, and wait for the parents.

Within ten minutes, the mama found her baby! Reunited after 24 hours!

Two nestling owlet siblings had their nest tree cut down. Their parents were able to fly off, but the homeowners were not aware that they had a Barred Owl family living in the dead tree the in their backyard. They called Alix as soon as they found the owlets on the ground.

Later that same night, a younger nestling owlet was found orphaned and all three owlets were kept overnight for observation.

Because the three owlets were were close in size, Alix decided to foster the singleton with the two siblings. Wayne Robertson, a professional tree climber, climbed a nearby oak the following evening. He installed a basket nest for the young to mature in. Both adult Barred Owls were present and vocal.

The homeowners followed up to say everything was fine and we are confident that all three owlets would fledge. Successful renest!