Great-Horned Owl 575: Mystery and Mission
The mystery was how a nestling Great-Horned Owl ended up not just on the ground under the nest at a SLO winery but instead about 75 to 100 yards away from it, at the door to a restroom.
Brought to PWC, little GHOW 575 was alert and in surprisingly good shape, considering his descent from the nest 20 feet up a eucalyptus tree. The owl was given fluids and a clean bill of health, and PWC troops rallied to coordinate a renesting effort.
Contrary to common myth, returning healthy, uninjured nestlings to the nest is not only possible. It is crucial. Young birds need their parents to acquire long-term survival skills in a way that no humans can replicate. But renesting must be done right, beginning with an exam by professional wildlife rehabilitators.
Owlets fledge (leave the nest) before they can fly. They spend time on the ground, moving further and further from the tree, as their parents continue to bring food. Would-be rescuers should not assume a fledgling owl is orphaned and “kidnap” it but instead keep dogs, cats, and humans away – and keep an eye on the bird from a distance, watching for the return of the parents. The young owl needs the parents and spends a year with them, acquiring hunting skills and eventually establishing its own territory.
GHOW 575, however, was not yet ready to fledge. A mission was launched to return the owlet to the nest as soon as possible. Achieving this required the coordinated efforts of the rescuer, PWC wildlife veterinarian, clinic director, one hotline volunteer with a camera, two rescue-transport volunteers, one rehabilitation technician, and the guidance (and ladder) of one renesting specialist.
The location was scouted, and the tree was found. Then the re-nest team assembled. An athletic member of the group was recruited to climb the ladder as others secured it. She carefully placed the wayward youngster back with its two siblings and climbed down – the entire operation overseen by a parent owl on a nearby branch. The mystery of how the owlet ended up where it did remains unsolved, but the mission was accomplished, summed up by one team member: “High fives all around.”
Photos by Morgan Nolan and Susie Reddy
