Barred Owl at a Bat Clinic

24th of Owltober!

Samantha the Barred Owl is an ambassador owl, pictured here at Save the Bats, a bat conservation clinic, which is super fitting because today is the beginning of Bat Conservation Week (24-31 Oct). Save the Bats was a non-profit in Michigan. It closed many years ago, so Sam’s now with Stage Nature Center operated by the Troy Nature Society.

Original post – 29 Jan 2018 – by Save the Bats in Michigan, US

Original text:

Instead of a bat-burrito, today we have a Sam-burrito! She was such a good girl while she was getting her beak and talons all trimmed up!

More info on Sam is provided by Stage Nature Center:

Sam is a Barred Owl and is one of our more talkative owls. She often calls out to people. Sam is the most comfortable around people.

There’s a fact sheet for Sam which gives her background story:

Why is Sam in Captivity?

Sam (short for Samantha) was found in April of 2010 in Alabama as an orphaned nestling with injuries to her right wing and wounds on her lower back. It is believed that she fell out of her nest and was attacked by a dog.

She began her rehabilitation journey at the Alabama Wildlife Center for a short time until she was transferred to the Southeastern Raptor Center at Auburn University. Sam had surgery to place pins in her wing to align the fracture. After removing the pins and going through physical therapy, it was determined that she was unable to move her right wing well enough to fly and could not be released back to the wild. She was transferred to the Organization for Bat Conservation on July 10, 2010, and then to the Stage Nature Center in February 2018. Because Sam was raised by people from a very young age, she is considered an “imprint”.

Imprints like her often identify with people more than they do other members of their species, which is why she will sometimes greet people by calling out when she hears or sees them.

Since Save the Bats in no longer operational, anyone looking for a place to send donations is welcome to try: