Great Gray Owl Exam

This Great Gray Owl in a towel of clay red or faded chestnut-brown is not so much wrapped as it is separated from the human by a wall of fabric. The rehabilitator wears a padded black jacket with the Think Wild branding top right: a deer beneath a desert sun. They hold the owl's legs with thick grey/gray gloves, at a guess because they're not seeking any fresh piercings this day. The talons are sharp, long, and curved, like a set of dread-inducing upholstery needles. The owl's eyes and beak are a milky yellow. There's seemingly little gray plumage in this individual as the namesake would suggest, but rather white and brown feathers mottled across the body, and in concentric bands across the prominent facial disc - a defining characteristic of this stunning species.

Original post – 20 Jan 2024

by Think Wild Central Oregon
located in Bend, Oregon

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Great Gray Owl patient (GGOW 24-20) with a right wing injury. After examination, there was no obvious fracture to the wing causing it to droop. While it is unknown what caused the injury, our licensed rehabbers are treating the patient with medication and cage rest to monitor the severity of the injury and to see if the owl regains strength to fly or if further examination and treatment is needed.

Update:

Great Gray Owl patient 24-20 was released back into the wild! This patient was at the Think Wild hospital for 29 days due to a soft tissue wing injury. Since the injury didn’t present any severe symptoms, our wildlife hospital staff took a more conservative healing approach by prescribing anti-inflammatories and cage rest. Upon improvement, our rehabbers began promoting flight in the owl to ensure there were no deficits and the owl had regained appropriate stamina. Now that the patient has made a full recovery, we are confident they are ready to thrive again in the wild!

The owl is in a shiny metal enclosure, standing next to a makeshift perch made of PVC pipe frame and an arc of bicycle tire attached with zip ties. A dead rat is slung over the perch.
Our friend is now perched on a bare wooden branch in an indoor flight dome. The wall behind is made of white netting and wooden framing. More tree-related paraphernalia is about, with some branches and stumps wrapped in mix of jute rope and astroturf.
Silhouetted by a blue and white sky, our freshly released Great Gray Owl perches comfortably on a Pine branch. The trunk takes the whole right edge of frame, its bark matching the owl's plumage. Balls of pine needles appear like green fireworks from a tangle of branches behind and above.

Link to donate to Think Wild Central Oregon for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Strix nebulosaGreat Grey OwlWiki link

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