pamela

Years ago I went down to the small pond on my property to check out what my dog was barking at. It was a Barred owl, wings open, standing in the shallow water. The owl was obviously in distress. I was able to contact a local wildlife rescue organization who came and took the owl back to their facility. Luckily, the owl was not seriously injured and was ready to be set free after just a few weeks of care. However, I learned that protocol for this facility was to release all birds of prey at a large farm about 10 miles away. I would not have thought twice about it except that we had been listening every evening to the injured owls partner call and call and call. It was very sad. Luckily I was able to convince the rescuers to release the owl back on my property (donating 3 days of carpentry labor at their facility really seemed to help!). And even more luck gave me the pleasure of bringing the owl home, setting it free and then listening FOR HOURS to the pair making so much noise! What a celebration. Of course, I’ve been an owl fan ever since.