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.
I was thinking it might be fun to have an Owl of the Year vote sometime soon.
Anyone interested in something like that?
I could do a bracket style elimination tournament, or I could also pick some of the more popular species from posts and do more of a poll type thing.
Or does anyone have any other ideas?
Nahhh, every owl is perfect, no need to praise one above another
What if it was to determine the community's banner or profile icon?
This was my thought for the prize. I know one of the mods has popped in every now and then, so I should be able to get in touch with them to do this.
I do agree with this of course. I just thought it may be fun and give a way for people to participate in this group even if they don't feel like they have anything to contribute.
I also hoped it could highlight a few less popular or common owls to everyone and get them some more attention. There are definitely time I find a new owl to share our even a common owl that doesn't get much buzz, but when I post it, it falls flat compared to some other things that I don't find as exciting. So it also can let me gauge what you all are interested in or want to know more about.
Even coming up with the list of potential contestants was tough. There's almost 250 species, and I'm not going to make myself or you guys go through that much, so I narrowed it down to 40ish that represent a diverse and mostly all inclusive representation of all owls.
If this was done every year, I also feel it would be interesting to see how the collective group's preference changes over time as you learn more about them and get exposed to ones you never knew about.
That's why I feel this is an overall positive idea. Some people may be a little disappointed if their favorite loses, I know I'm a little let down when I think I posted something good that nobody ends up caring about, but in the end it's just for fun and doesn't really mean anything. We're all here because we like owls, and however it works out, an owlb of some sort would be the winner.