Chrissie, Kendall, Phil, and Kris upon the owl’s arrival to rehab.
Kris mentioned that on the way from Parker to Ellicott there was a very nasty smell emanating from the owl’s box. Upon removal of the owl from the box we found that the bird had coughed up a pellet on the way here. I bet you can tell by looking at the owl’s pellet (above) what it had for dinner Sunday night!
Tia and Kris of Parker were driving home late Sunday night when a pair of enormous golden eyes flashed in their windshield for a split second after which they heard a thump! against the side of their car. They pulled over to see what had happened and found a Great Horned Owl lying by the side of the road. The unresponsive, unmoving bird was picked up and gently laid on the car’s back seat, and Tia and Kris continued on home. When they got home the owl appeared to be dying, and they placed the bird on a soft fluffy towel, then into a large box, then into the barn, where they fully expected the bird to pass. Imagine their surprise yesterday morning when they opened up the barn door and instead of a lifeless body in the box they found a very ticked off owl standing up, out of the box, and across the barn! They carefully approached the owl and it postured at them, spreading its wings, bouncing side to side, hissing and clacking its beak at them! Tia and Kris called us to see what they should do. We wanted the bird brought to rehab so we could assess damage from the collision with the car. Easier said than done! This was not a motionless bird that they could pick up bare-handed and put back in the box. This was an unhappy bird that wanted no part of handling or that box, and it took some doing but eventually Tia and Kris got the owl back into the box. Tia called her sister Chrissie, who together with Kendall and Chris, loaded up the owl and drove it all the way here to Ellicott. Physical exam revealed signs of head trauma and stress, but no broken bones or obvious signs of internal injuries. We anticipate the owl will do well in rehab and be released back home soon. We’ll keep you posted!