Brancher Owls Renested

A Great Horned Owlet is contained in a vanilla pillow case. The case colour matches his/her fuzzy fledgling feathers, like frosted tips on plumage that is otherwise tan, brown and black. The setting is a forest floor: an orange climbing rope is coiled below with brown pine needles and leaf litter strewn about.

Original post – 12 May 2024
by Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre

located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦
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Original text:

Rehabilitation is great but re-nesting is even better!! Thanks to observant rescuers, our skilled team, and a volunteer arborist, together we were able to re-nest two branching Great Horned Owls high up in the tree. Both young were found on the ground with evidence that their nest was destroyed. After a thorough check, and a few good meals at the Centre, they were ready to return home. From a far distance, we observed mom and dad excitedly welcoming them back within an hour of them returning to the tree!!

A second owlet appears. The pair of GHOWs are perched fore and aft on a branch in a brightly-lit enclosure. The owls' silhouettes blend with the off-white wooden trellis walls behind, making it hard to make out the horns for which the species is named (i.e. the tufts of feathers that ostensibly look like ears). The tufts are only short round nubbins at this early life stage. Any excuse to use the word nubbin, really.
Close up of one of the owlets, with pale yellow eyes and mouth agape trying to exclaim in owl-speak "back off strange bear!"
Shot from afar, one of the owlets is centre of frame, perched high in a pine tree.

🦉This is peak clumsy baby owl season. If you have found a young owl, please call BEFORE rescue if possible so we can assess re-nesting potential! 🦉

Link to donate to Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Bubo virginianusGreat Horned OwlWiki link

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