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For owls that are superb.

US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now

International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com

Australia Rescue Help: WIRES

Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org

If you find an injured owl:

Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.

Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.

Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.

If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.

For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.

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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

We are coming to an end of the second year of c/superbowl, and I think we've had a really good year together. We've covered a ton of great topics, and we've got a pretty good group of people commenting on a daily basis. A lot of people have been hanging around since last year, and we're still doing well overall in the list of active communities and we've grown by about 50% since last year. There's a lot of people recommending us whenever I see a "what communities are must subscribe?" list.

We have a lot of fun, we learn a lot, and I hope we feel a better connection to the world around us.

I'll post some top whatever lists below in the comments to look at some of the things we've done and some of the things you may have missed.

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He looks so polite

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Found a great post today, a Tasmanian Masked Owl!

They are the largest Tyto (Barn) Owl, and also the second biggest owl of Australia after the Powerful Owl.

I think the masked owls are very beautiful, so I hope you enjoy!

From Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

Meet "Idun" the Tasmanian Masked Owl!

Our 24/7 Wildlife Rescue Service received a call for ldun earlier this week when a member of the public spotted him stuck atop their roof early in the morning. Upon closer investigation it was clear that Idun's talons had become stuck in wire mesh covering the roof gutter and he was unable to free himself.

A complicated rescue followed, with huge thanks to De Groot Roof Painting who immediately leapt into action to help out! Vincent came to the rescue and managed to use his roof painting equipment and skills to safely remove ldun from the mesh.

Idun arrived at Bonorong Wildlife Hospital shortly after to be assessed by our specialist veterinary team.

Although he seemed to be tired from his ordeal, it appeared he had escaped without any severe injuries, and thorough examination under anaesthetic thankfully revealed no serious wounds or fractures. Idun suffered some soft tissue trauma and inflammation on the foot that had been trapped, likely from repeated effort to free himself. Fortunately, these are treatable injuries - Idun was very lucky to avoid serious injury from his entanglement.

Idun has now gone into the specialist care of a very experienced raptor rehabilitator who will monitor him carefully while he returns to full strength. Hopefully, after a short period in care, he will be ready for release!

Sadly, the Tasmanian Masked Owl is listed as an endangered species. This is primarily due to habitat loss, which stems from deforestation and urbanization. As human activities encroach upon their natural habitats, these magnificent owls struggle to find suitable nesting sites and hunting grounds. Additionally, competition with invasive species, particularly feral cats, poses a significant threat to their survival.

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From South African Wildlife Rehab Center

On Thursday evening, just before midnight, Lauren MacLeod received an urgent call from the Matthews family in Van Dyk Park. They had discovered a young Spotted Eagle Owlet sitting soaking wet and exceptionally vulnerable in the middle of the road after a storm.

Over the phone, Lauren quickly assessed the situation and guided the family on how to dry the owlet and keep it safe through the rest of the night. With no clear idea of where the owlet's nest might be or how to ensure its safety if returned, the decision was made to bring the owlet in for further care and rearing the following day.

By Friday morning, the owlet was on its way to Park Vet for a full health check. There, Dr. Nicole Napier and her daughter Erin were instantly charmed by the young bird, whom the Matthews family affectionately named Frederick.

After receiving a clean bill of health, Frederick was transferred to us, where he will receive the best care possible. He'll be fed a nutritious diet, given ample space to stretch his wings and learn to fly, and eventually be prepared for a soft release into a safe and suitable environment.

A HUGE "thank you" goes out to the Matthews family for their quick action and their generosity in sponsoring Frederick's care during his time with us. Recognizing the need to support our work makes a world of difference and helps us provide the best for these gorgeous creatures!

Here's an adult Spotted Eagle Owl this young one will get a chance to grow up to be:

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Read about the largest owl irruption (sudden population increase) in 20 years for Minnesota. Also some great stats about owl rehab from our friends at the University of MN Raptor Center!

From WTIP

January 20, 2025

This winter, northern Minnesota is experiencing an influx of owl species, particularly the Boreal Owl and the Great Gray Owl.

Owl sightings have increased in recent weeks, stretching from the Canadian Border to Duluth. The population influx is known as an owl irruption and is separate from annual migration patterns.

“Irruptions occur irregularly and vary greatly in magnitude,” Steve Kolbe, an avian ecologist at the University of Minnesota, said.

Kolbe said the main factor contributing to owl irruptions is “likely food.”

If populations of rodents, owls’ main source of food, have been abundant but then suddenly crash, owls will venture into nearby geographic areas in search of food.

While food sources are a significant factor, Kolbe said, other factors may be at play.

“Small rodent population cycles may drive the irruption of owls, especially if these population cycles match over geographic space,” Kolbe said. “But the ultimate drivers are likely complicated and may also involve environmental conditions such as snow depth and cover.”

Whether the current owl irruption in northern Minnesota is driven by food or environmental conditions, birdwatchers have flocked to backroads and highways throughout the Superior National Forest and Chippewa National Forest to take advantage of the phenomenon and hopefully catch a glimpse of the elusive and silent-winged bird.

“Birders throughout the Arrowhead region have been enjoying sightings of Great Gray and Boreal Owls for the past few weeks, even in the middle of town in places like Duluth and Two Harbors,” Kolbe said.

Kolbe said the current 2024-25 owl irruption is likely the largest irruption since 2004-05. However, it is “not even remotely close to the magnitude of the irruption that occurred in that year.”

Given that owls are primarily scavengers looking for rodents such as voles, mice, and shrews, they tend to be attracted to the side of a road, as rodents congregate at those locations to eat trash discarded from vehicles.

While the side of the road is a popular location for finding prey, it comes with a high level of risk and potential injury.

Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center, based in Duluth, admits approximately 100 injured raptors each year, with 25 to 35 of those being owls on average.

“The majority of these raptors are admitted after vehicle collisions,” Valerie Slocum, the Wildwoods Rehabilitation nursery manager, said.

While owls have powerful eyesight, they don’t have the best peripheral vision, given their eyes are affixed to the front of their head. As owls hunt for rodents along roadways, they tend to swoop low, often colliding with a vehicle.

“Owls really aren’t all that smart,” Steve Robinson, the Superior National Forest interpretation and education specialist, told WTIP. “Their hunting techniques frequently bring them into roadways with bad results for both the owl and your windshield.”

Slocum said Wildwoods Rehabilitation receives injured raptors and owls after being hit on various roadways throughout northern Minnesota, but most of the injuries occur on highways such as US-53, Hwy 61, and I-35.

While vehicle collisions are a leading cause of injuries, other reasons owls are admitted to Wildwoods Rehabilitation are due to flying into windows, being entrapped in netting or fencing, or illness.

With the owl irruption this year, Slocum said Wildwoods Rehabilitation is experiencing an increase in injured owls.

“We’ve seen quite a few more owls than we typically see,” she said. “I think there was one day we had five owl intakes or admits in one day. And most of them were ones that had been hit by a car, unfortunately.”

Recently, Wildwoods Rehabilitation made national headlines after a Minnesota woman rescued two owls on the same day near Two Harbors and Duluth. Both owls were injured in vehicle collisions.

Once an injured raptor or owl is received, Slocum said Wildwoods Rehabilitation will perform an exam and provide initial treatments. Then, they consult with The Raptor Center based in St. Paul about additional treatment options.

“Some injuries and conditions are not treatable and are euthanized,” Slocum said. “And those raptors that have the possibility to be treated are then transferred to The Raptor Center.”

Slocum said that for the last four years, approximately 34% of the owls they have received have been euthanized. Meanwhile, about 48% of the injured owls are transferred to The Raptor Center. The remaining 18%, she said, “either had died prior to their arrival to Wildwoods or died while in care.”

Over the 50-year history of The Raptor Center, the number of patients admitted each year has steadily increased.

Anthony Baffo, the communications manager at The Raptor Center in St. Paul, said that in 2024, the center admitted a record-setting 1105 wild raptor patients. Of the 1105 raptors, 351 were owls representing 11 species, Baffo said.

Typically, on average, The Raptor Center admits 300-305 owls.

“Trauma is the most common reason for admission,” Baffo said. “Car strikes are common, suspected source of trauma in our raptor patients.”

Baffo said when a bird enters their care, they “use every resource we have available to give them the best chance of recovery.”

He said that of the birds that survive the critical 48 hours of care, approximately 60% are released back into the wild.

With the owl irruption this year and, in turn, a slight increase in injured owls, bird researchers and rehabilitation centers are advising the public to remain aware while traveling along highways and backroads.

“I’d gently suggest that readers be careful if they are interested in seeing these birds, especially if they are doing so from roadways,” Kolbe said. “Making sure to park safely, give the birds plenty of space, and not lingering too long will not only be beneficial for the owls but also for local residents and people driving on the roads.”

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Minnie (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

From Eduardo Pulgar

After spotting this Snowy Owl, I decided to relocate my vehicle in order to get a special effect by placing the lights behind it.

Now when my daughter saw this pic, she said: "Oh she looks like Minnie Mouse

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Only sharing this for informational purposes because they seem to expect a positive outcome for the owl. I generally avoid anything too serious, as we mainly come here for fun, but I think this is educational.

Due to owl eyes being so huge (each individual eye is often larger than the brain and you can sometimes see the eye through the ear canal) they are often injured during collisions with cars or buildings. I've heard this a million times finding things to share with you guys, but I've never seen it before finding this.

I wouldn't call it gory, but it's definitely not pleasant to see, but after hearing about it so much, it's helpful to me to have a visual. But don't click the spoiler tag if you mind blood.

From Nature's Edge

Took in a found great-horned owl this weekend. It was obvious it had been hit by a car. Both eyes full of blood, beak cracked, one wing badly bruised. Head trauma is concerning. Will take time to see how much damage is done to eyes, but hopeful at this point for a full recovery.

Now to withstand the skunk smell for a few weeks! These guys always come in smelling like their favorite food this time of year.

Final Warning! Injured owl behind the spoiler!

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From Rob Julian

Snowy owl....aka the phantom of the tundra. Ontario Canada

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From Gabi Sandu

WW Photographers - I'll go first with the #beforeafteredit.

Here is a Ural Owl in a dark environment. I used a very slow shutter speed 1/25 and a very high iso 12.800. In order to denoise the image I used dxo pure raw, but because I shot at 1/25 the image wasn't too noisy, less photons remained on the sensor. Other edits to the image were, vertical crop and some color adjustments.

PS - The shot was handheld and I shot in burst mode. If I remember correctly it was hundreds of shots. This one comes the best.

Nikon Z9, Nikon 500mm pf 1/25, f5.6, iso-12800

This was in response to this post:

It may look like all these photographers just magically get these great photos we enjoy every day, but a ton of work can take place both before and after the shutter button is pressed!

If this is something of interest to you all, I can try to remember to check back for more.

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Kenojuak Ashevak, The Enchanted Owl, 8 minute video

Video and text are from TVO Arts.

Fantastical. Striking. Wise. The Enchanted Owl catches the eye with its gentle face, intelligent gaze and long whimsical feathers. Kenojuak Ashevak created it in 1960. Known for her highly stylized drawing and prints of Arctic wildlife. Today this striking bird can be seen at the Kenojuak Cultural Centre and Print Shop in Kinngait (Cape Dorset).

With crisp confident lines and fluid shapes, The Enchanted Owl stands out amongst the surrounding white space like an emblem. It was originally printed in both red and black, and in green and black.

Originally printed in both red and black, and in green and black.

The owl was a favourite subject of Kenojuak. In her career, she imagined the clever creature in 100 different prints. Still, this is the only print of hers that hung in her home. In 1970, Canada Post chose it, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Northwest Territories.

Printmaking had a profound impact on Ashevak and on the Kinngait (Cape Dorset) community (Cape Dorset) where she practised.

The video has much more discussion and history about the print and the artist. I was looking more into Inuit art after thinking about the Oopik, and I saw this print in one video. I really liked it, and the story of the artist in the video was

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From Middle TN Raptor Center

Yesterday was cleaning day which is always a huge undertaking. Here are a few who posed for the camera yesterday.

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From Artur Korpik

Extremely difficult to do... Boreal owl in flight

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From Kaleena Smith

I just returned last week from my first ever birding trip outside of the United States. I thought I would share some of the pics from our trip. We went to Costa Rica with a birding tour and also went a couple of days early on our own to spend some time at Paraiso Quetzal. I will share in two parts because I have so many photos to go through, and l saw 197 lifers that I photographed while there (more that I missed shots of).

If anybody has questions about planning a trip there, or where we saw a specific bird, please let me know. We really only saw a small part of Costa Rica, mainly the Talamanca Highlands and Rancho Naturalista with some field trips such as to Centro Mano, El Copal and Irazu Volcano and others as well as San Jose.

It's amazing how many birds we saw in that relatively small area.

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From Sabrina J Rangel

When a short-eared owl gives you that look-Go ahead, make me famous!

Nikon gears

Bhigwan Grasslands, Maharashtra India

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From Peggy Smith

As I wish for more snow, here's a throwback to one of my favorite autumn photographs.

New River Gorge National Park

Victor & Olga were Eastern Screech Owls that were cared for at Three Rivers Avian Center in Brooks, WV. They care for injured birds of prey and return them to the wild if possible. They do two fundraisers a year in the form of photography workshops. You get to photograph beautiful birds of prey, learn about them, all while helping support a wonderful organization. I am a lover of owls. I'm so lucky and happy to have captured this precious moment.

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From Glen Helen

Did you know that even in this cold and snowy weather, great horned owls in Ohio are well into the incubation period of their nesting season already?

Baby great horned owlets will start hatching in mid to late February and by March you may see bright yellow eyes peeking above hollow tree cavities or old hawk nests.

Keep in mind these early cavity nesters if you are having dead trees trimmed up in the late winter and be sure to call us should you find any feathered friends in need.

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Nice pictures of Long Eared Owls from a release event in Crete.

From ANIMA

Birds that we cared for at ANIMA and had been sent by partners in Crete were released to the Armenians.

Πουλιά που φροντίσαμε στην ΑΝΙΜΑ και είχαν σταλεί από συνεργάτες στην Κρήτη απελευθερώθηκαν στους Αρμενους.

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From Owl Orphanage Velddrif

We had a pre-release chat with these nuggets. They found the idea of where not to go and the reasons why not very interesting. All eyes focused on us.

Some of them will be placed on soft release after the wind quiets down this coming week.

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From Eduardo Pulgar

This is probably the shot of my life. I got a few shots of this beauty tonight under extreme weather conditions, shooting handheld from my car with the shutter at 1/50s of a second and a 800mm lens.

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From The Owl and Nature Page

Some fantastic images of Eurasian Pygmy Owls (Glaucidium passerinum) in the Central Bohemian of the Czech Republic thanks to Robert Grim Photographer.

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From Nicole Seward

When we finally got some snow I went out hoping for a dream shot to get a Long-eared Owl in the snow. This Owl decided not to shake off any snow and just let it pile on its face as the snow came down.

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From KSL News Utah

25 JAN 2025

SPRINGVILLE - Nigel the screech owl is back home after getting stuck in a downspout at the Springville Museum of Art about a week ago.

The city of Springville said on Facebook that the museum's facilities team came to the rescue and got the owl out of harm's way. Then, Nigel the screech owl was rehabilitated for a week at the Great Basin Wildlife Rescue.

Finally, Nigel was released back to the grounds of the museum where he lives on Friday.

"During the summer months, it is not uncommon to find these little owls throughout the grounds at the museum," Springville City said.

The city said the screech owl is native to Utah, and they expressed gratitude to the people who helped with Nigel's rescue and rehab.

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From Jamie Worne

I really love this shot...

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From Keith Van Westen

About 20 years ago I found this little guy at the base of our backyard white pine. The caption was a small attempt at humor.

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From The International Owl Center

Alice the Great Horned Owl had her annual checkup at The Raptor Center today. Since she is retired and doesn't go anywhere anymore, this 7- hour round trip is her big adventure of the year. She's almost 28 years old, and has arthritis and cataracts (maybe some of you can relate). In this photo you can see the yellow part of her iris is also impacted by age, so lots of black specks show through.

The other owl staff get an on-site vet visit later this month, thanks to The Raptor Center's mobile clinic. Alice goes there, though, to get the highest quality radiographs to monitor her arthritis and other age- related issues.

Thanks to all of our wonderful donors who help make it possible for our owls to get excellent vet care.

From a June 2023 post:

Alice the Great Horned Owl got her bill and talons trimmed (coped) today. Since she has gotten much more owly with age, we try to minimize how often we do this awful thing to her. Of all of our owls, she is by far the most difficult to cope, between putting up a fight and screaming bloody murder. She should feel much better now that it is done (and we do too!)

You can see Alice's age by the dark flecking in her yellow irises. In person we could also easily see the milky color of cataracts clouding her lenses to some degree. She doesn't get around like she used to, and is on cosequin for cats for her arthritis. She is 26 years old now, still with no lack of self confidence!

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