20th of Owltober!

A Long-Eared Owl was treated for eye ulcers from a head injury. He recovered vision but missed his migration, so overwintered at AIWC to be released in spring.

Posted in Recovery Review – Vol. 24 | Issue 1 | Winter 2017
by Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC)

located in Madden, Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Original text:

A long-eared owl was recently admitted with ulcers on both eyes, a typical symptom of a head injury. The ulcers have been treated, and the bird now has no risk to his vision. It’s interesting to note that owls hunt as much with their ears as their eyes; experiments having shown that even blind owls can catch prey in the dark.

The long-eared owl spends the winter months in the south, sometimes as far as Mexico, so since this particular owl missed his migration, he will over-winter with AIWC until he can be released in the spring.

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Link to donate to Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

Original post – 25 Mar 2025
by Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation

located in Madden, Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Initial post 16 March 2025:

This boreal owl arrived in care after being found in Northwest Calgary with a fractured clavicle, likely caused by a window strike. Thankfully, the fracture is well aligned, and we’re hopeful that cage rest and supportive care will help this little owl recover.

Boreal owls are rare patients for us, as they prefer remote forest habitats to the west and north of our clinic. This individual likely arrived as part of an “irruption,” an event where birds move en masse to new areas due to changes in their usual food supply.

Update 25 March 2025:

For our boreal owl patient, medication (along with rest) has been key to her rehab journey so far. 💉🦉

Her fractured clavicle is thankfully well-aligned, and she’s been eating well on her own, all good signs that she is on the road to recovery. 💙

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Link to donate to Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

(bonus pics below)

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Original post – 08 Nov 2016
by Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation

located in Madden, Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

“Your Monday morning muse: Short-eared owl currently in care.”

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For those willing and able please consider helping fund AIWC at the following link to MAKE A DONATION. Your generosity ensures the best possible care for their animal guests.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

You might have seen this special critter before. A viral hit of the early 2010s, this owl won the hearts of the internet and enjoyed a resurgence later in the decade with the caption “you’ve heard of Elf on a shelf, now get ready for…”

After tracking down the source, it turns out this Saw-whet Owl’s name is Wheatley. He was posted on DeviantArt by the user KodaSilverwing.
(see original photos 1 2 3 and 4)

From what it seems, Wheatley was treated at AIWC. Here’s the story below:

Original post 14 Oct 2011
Wildlife Clinic: Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation

located in Madden, Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Original comments by KodaSilverwing:

“We now have a Saw Whet Owl that has come in to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center where I volunteer and he’s pretty much the most adorable little guy ever. I mean, all Saw Whet’s are adorable, but this guy just takes the cake haha.

“He flew into a window by accident (Window Strike) so he’s been pretty unstable but over the last few days he HAS been improving so that’s good.

“Hopefully little Wheatley can make a full recovery and return to the wild!

“He’s currently in his little towel donut that I made for him, resting.”

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“There doesn’t seem to be really any major physical injures from what I saw and heard from one of the staff, so that’s good. =P”

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“You should see his face after every time you give him a piece of food. He’ll look at you with his lovely eyes which pretty much say “More Please!”. It’s adorable haha.”

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“I ‘named’ him Wheatley partially off Wheatley from Portal 2 (I LOVE HIM) actually haha. It’s partly from the Whet in his name as well.”

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For those willing and able please consider helping fund Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at the following 🔗 DONATION LINK 🔗. Your generosity ensures the best possible care for their animal guests.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

Original post – 04 Oct 2021
by Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation

located in Madden, Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Only around the size of an adult human’s fist, saw-whet owls possess excellent hearing and low light vision. They are strictly nocturnal, and at night these miniature owls become winged terrors, swooping down on their prey from a low perch along the forest edge. Deer mice, shrews and voles are all on the menu, but saw-whet owls will supplement their diet with beetles, grasshoppers, moths and bugs. Daylight hours are for sleeping, and these owls keep well hidden from view, perched motionless in thick vegetation. They are usually found close to the trunk of a conifer tree, about 3 metres off the ground. Their plumage provides excellent camouflage, and if threatened, they “freeze” in order to appear like a branch or bump.

Link to DONATE to AIWC for those willing and able.

💛🦉

xo owlsintowels