An owlet reunion reminds us of an important lesson
Recently, two Novato residents were surprised to find two great horned owlets on the ground by a large tree in their backyard. The babies had been sitting in the same spot alone for more than a day; and sadly, the day before, they had found the remains of an adult owl on their driveway. They feared these babies had fallen from a nest with no parents to go back to. Fortunately, they called WildCare, and the Marin wildlife nonprofit in turn asked Marin Humane to help bring these owlets to safety.
Animal Services Officers Hannah Cassidy and Courtney Miller arrived and were relieved to find the owlets in good shape.
“They were alert and vocal with chittering and beak clicking,” Cassidy said. “The finders had an amazing temporary setup for them until we arrived. Both owls settled into our carrier and had a smooth transition over to WildCare.”
The owlets were given a full medical exam and found to be uninjured and healthy. Now the question was, if they were brought back to their nest, would there still be parents to care for them?
According to WildCare, their “Raptor Release Team put together a plan to return the owlets to the nest, to monitor for sights and sounds of the parent owls and then to bring the owlets back down two days later to weigh them. If the owlets had gained weight, we would know they were being fed. If they hadn’t, we would bring them back to the wildlife hospital to grow up in care. Recreational tree climbing instructor Sam Johnson volunteered to climb the big tree and safely place the owlets back in their nest. Two nights later, he climbed to the nest again, placed the owlets in a box and lowered them down for a weight check. Both owlets had gained significant weight. Clearly the parents were feeding them.”
By the way, it’s a myth that a mother will reject her baby if a human has touched it. Although many of us grew up believing that, it’s absolutely not true.
We’re now in baby wildlife season so it’s important to keep an eye out for our vulnerable friends. Nests are easily blown from trees during strong winds and sadly, some people trim their trees and bushes during this critical time period for wildlife. (Unless it’s an emergency, trimming should always be done in autumn.)
So, what do we do if we see a baby bird we suspect might be in trouble? Since it’s not always easy to determine if the baby needs help, call WildCare’s Wildlife Hotline at 415-456-7283.
In general, when it comes baby birds, there are two types:
• Nestlings (naked or with beginning feathers)
A nestling may fall or be blown or pushed out of the nest. If you find one on the ground, keep them warm and contact WildCare immediately. Be sure to note exactly where you found the bird and snap some photos of the location as well. This will make a potential reunion with the baby’s mother and nestmates much easier.
• Fledglings (feathered, sometimes with downy tufts)
These young birds are learning to fly — a process that may take several days — and should be left alone to practice hopping and flying from low shrub branches to the ground and back. The parent birds should be within view of the fledgling; you may not see them, but you probably can hear them making sounds from a nearby tree. However, if they’re in one place for a while, like the owlet pair, contact WildCare.
Our sincerest thanks to the observant and caring residents who called about the owlets, the volunteer tree climber who reunited the babies with their parents, the Marin Humane animal services officers who brought the babies to safety, and, of course, our friends at WildCare.
Lisa Bloch is the marketing and communications director at Marin Humane, which contributes Tails of Marin articles and welcomes animal-related questions about the people and animals in our community. Go to marinhumane.org, find us on social media @marinhumane, or email lbloch@marinhumane.org.