Switzerland – Owls in Towels https://owlsintowels.org/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:14:19 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://owlsintowels.org/content/media/tBNh7to.png Switzerland – Owls in Towels https://owlsintowels.org/ 32 32 Long-Eared Owlet “Ginette” https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-owlet-ginette/ https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-owlet-ginette/#respond Sun, 04 Oct 2026 23:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=4855 Arranged in a nest shape is a dusty-burnt-orange towel (in colour only; the cloth is untarnished by earth or flame). Within that nest is a Long-Eared Owl chick draped in a juvenile coat entirely made of ashy-white feathers, with the exception of a bat-shaped mask of brownish-black around her eyes. On the topic of eyes, they're bright orange, like buoyancy rings, around pupils as wide as saucers.

5th of Owltober!

Original post – 20 Apr 2021
by Centre Erminea

located in Chavornay, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Website | Instagram | Facebook

Original text:

Nous avons reçu un bébé hibou moyen duc qui s’est malheureusement fracturé l’humérus. Il s’est fait opérer aujourd’hui et heureusement tout s’est bien passé. Si vous voulez soutenir notre petit chouchou moyen-duc “Ginette” CCP 17-229708-9 🙏 Merci pour votre aide 🦉

English Translation:

We have taken in a young long-eared owl chick that has unfortunately fractured her humerus. She underwent surgery today and, thankfully, everything went well. If you’d like to support our little darling, the long-eared owl “Ginette” (CCP 17-229708-9) 🙏 Thank you for your help 🦉

An x-ray output (post-surgery) shows a long thin metal rod stabilising the bébé owl's humerus. The metalwork is bright white compared to the rest of the owl's skeleton, glowing pale green on a dark background. The owl's bone structure is surprisingly small, illustrating that owls are 99% fluff. A few dozen feathers are radiodense, likely due to having blood supply as they grow, and so the spines appear bright and rather like fish bones or wide-tooth combs. A cone mask for the anaesthesia is placed around the owl's head. The text "Gauche" appears below the pinned wing which might seem odd commentary from the radiographers, had one not just learned the French word for "Left".
Back in the visible spectrum, the Long-Eared Owlet rests on red and orange towels inside a dark-walled container, peering up at whomever is peering down. A pink gauze wrap with purple splotches is around her now pinned Guache wing. She appears startled, and her buoyancy-ring eyes look more lemon than orange in this light.

Link to donate to Centre Erminea for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-owlet-ginette/feed/ 0 Long-Eared in Switzerland https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-switzerland/ https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-switzerland/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=4127 A pair of lava-lamp orange eyes are the highlight of this Long-eared Owl's face, brighter in tone than the coral orange towel in which he is wrapped. The namesake 'ears' of his species are rabbit-like, curving outwards, but lacking fur and cartilage; they are feathers after all. His real ears are at eye-level, obscured by feathers (and cotton). His beak and eyes are open: slightly and very, respectively. A complete look of indignation.
Rehabilitators at Erminea treat a Long-eared Owl with a dislocated coracoid, posting that they’re doing everything they can to get him back on his feet.


Original post – 28 May 2024
by Centre Erminea

located in Chavornay, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Website | Instagram | Facebook

Original text in (Swiss) French:

🦉 Un autre rapace est arrivé dans notre centre. Cette fois, il s’agit du hibou moyen-duc (Asio otus)🦉.
Il présente une luxation du coracoïde. Il ne peut plus s’envoler, et ne tient pas debout.
🩺 Nous mettons tout en œuvre pour le soigner et le remettre sur patte.

☝️ Faisant parti intégrante de l’équilibre des écosystèmes de nos forêts et zones agricoles il est primordial de le conserver. Il régule l’effectif des campagnols de nos champs, étant sa source de nourriture principale.
🌒 Essentiellement nocturne vous ne l’observerez que rarement en journée.

🤓 Nota bene: il a été doté d’une morphologie exceptionnelle pour le rendre silencieux en plein vol ! Il présente sur les bords de ses ailes des sortes de “peignes” composés de barbules (crochets entre plumes) qui réduisent considérablement les sifflements lors de la pénétration dans l’air.

👻 Voila pourquoi c’est un peu le fantôme de nos forêts.
Soutenons cet incroyable rapace !🦉
📖 Référence : Lionel Maumary & co, Le livre des oiseaux

English Translation (via DeepL):

🦉 Another bird of prey has arrived at our centre. This time, it is a long-eared owl (Asio otus)🦉.
It has a dislocated coracoid. It can no longer fly and cannot stand up.
🩺 We are doing everything we can to treat it and get it back on its feet.

☝️As it plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of our forest and agricultural ecosystems, it is essential that we protect it. It helps control the vole population in our fields, as voles are its main source of food.
🌒 Being primarily nocturnal, you will rarely spot it during the day.

🤓 Note: it has been blessed with an exceptional anatomy that makes it virtually silent in flight! The edges of its wings feature a sort of ‘comb’ made up of barbs (hooks between the feathers) that significantly reduce the whistling sound as it cuts through the air.

👻 That’s why it’s a bit like the ghost of our forests.
Let’s support this incredible bird of prey!🦉
📖 Reference: Lionel Maumary & co, The Book of Birds

Link to donate to Erminea for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-switzerland/feed/ 0