Rehabilitation and Release of a Short-eared Owl - Winter 08/09
Read about the start of our Fall raptor season in the Wildlife Care Center and learn about a Short-eared Owl that was rehabilitated and released.
On Saturday, November 1, the Care Center had cages full of western screech owls, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, and many others. The fall raptor migration brings in many sick or injured birds, often thin and malnourished, and fills our cages with birds of prey. That Saturday we received a call from Forest Grove, where the caller had been walking their dog in an orchard and found an owl down on the ground with an injured wing. Shortly thereafter they brought the owl to the Care Center where an excited volunteer crew realized that it was a short-eared owl, a species on the 2007 National Audubon’s WatchList as a species under decline. The short-eared owl occurs throughout North America and year-round in the Portland area. They are partially diurnal and hunt rodents over fields, marshes and grasslands. Habitat loss as grasslands and marshes are destroyed or degraded is a major contributor to their decline.
This owl came to us slightly thin with a severe fracture of the left wing. X-rays led us to believe that the fracture might be repairable, but that it would require extensive intervention. Dr. Dave Barno of Rock Creek Veterinary Hospital in Beaverton offered to perform the invasive repair, which was too extensive to be done in our hospital. After a nearly three hour surgery, Dr. Barno was finally able to align the bones and pin them together for a successful result. The owl will spend the next weeks recuperating at the Wildlife Care Center under veterinary care and plenty of good wishes.
| Short-eared Owl before operation. |
Short-eared Owl after surgery showing metal rod in wing. |
- The owl continues to recuperate in a cage in our hospital.
November 24th, 2008 - Good news! The owl's recovery is progressing well. It has been eating well and has returned t a normal weight and it is acting very bright and active in our care. We re-radiographed the wing last week and the healing had progressed enough to allow removal of the wing wrap that was supporting it. The wing will be x-rayed again in a couple of weeks, at which point we will be able to make some long-term decisions regarding the owl's care.
December 12th, 2008 - Although slow to form a healing callous, the short-eared owl's fractured wing is stable and continues to heal well. We have been supplementing his diet with vitamins and today repeated radiographs to reassess the fracture. The owl has some restricted movement of the affected wing, so our next steps will be to remove the pin from the bone and begin physical therapy.
February 14, 2009 - The short-eared owl has made great strides in its recovery while exercising in a flight cage. It now flies silently in small, quick circles, showing no evidence of impairment from the injured wing. We are beginning to move towards planning a release and are planning the release in conjunction with the Forest Grove Community School as the owl was found very close to their site and one of their students brought the owl to us. Stayed tuned for information on the date and time of this public release!
Short-eared Owl Successfully Released!
On Friday, February 20th, a beautiful sunny afternoon, our short-eared owl was released at Ash Street Field, in Forest Grove. The site is run jointly by the city of Forest Grove and Metro and is a project to restore native oak forests. In attendance were all 5 people involved in the recovery and transport of the owl to Audubon’s Wildlife Care Center, including 10-year-old Leif Jorgensen, who has spent the past three months learning all about short-eared owls to present a beautiful poster on the day of the release. Also there for the release was Leif’s class of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders from the Forest Grove Community School, and their teacher, Charlie Graham, who had all participated in learning about the owl and following its rehabilitation story, along with a few other members of the school community.
After sharing facts about short-eared owls, discussing the amazing community of people who had all come together to help this owl, and deciding that the owl was one lucky bird, the time for release arrived. The owl flew silently off over the sapling oak trees showing no evidence of its previous injuries.
- Leif's Poster - Charlie Graham
- SEO Release - Charlie Graham
- Short-eared Owl Release - Charlie Graham
