[MDOsprey] surprise OWL in a box
Bonnie Ott (bott@erols.com)
Fri, 22 Oct 1999 21:47:20 -0400
One of the perks of working at a "birdy" store is finding out about all
of the local sightings from the customers. This evening I had the
ULTIMATE experience! A fellow came in with a cardboard box and announced
he had a "little owl" that he had rescued inside. I held my breath and
looked inside, all I could see was a little brown back. I carefully
removed a tiny creature and saw it was a SAW WHET OWL! I quickly checked
it over and she seemed in good condition. He said he had been driving
home (Glenwood-western Howard County) and he had seen crows attacking
something on the side of the road. He pulled over and scared the crows
off and he said the little bird flew low into a tree. He wasn't sure if
it was badly hurt or not so he went over and picked it up and put it in
a box and brought it to the store (thank the heavens!).
I put in a call to Jo Solem and we decided it would be best to release
her in a safe spot. I brought her home and after putting in calls to a
host of bird club members we let her go into the woods at the end of my
street. It was thrilling to release her into the tree. She seemed in
good shape and grasped my fingers with her talons. She also flew a short
distance and perched on a bare branch. A later check at 9:00 and she was
gone. A memory of a lifetime :)
Bonnie Ott
"Of all the gay birds that e're I did see,
The owl is the fairest by far to me,
For all day long she sits on a tree,
And when night comes away flies she"
anonymous