Oregon – Owls in Towels https://owlsintowels.org/ Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:37:22 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 https://owlsintowels.org/content/media/tBNh7to.png Oregon – Owls in Towels https://owlsintowels.org/ 32 32 Hunter of Crickets https://owlsintowels.org/hunter-of-crickets/ https://owlsintowels.org/hunter-of-crickets/#respond Wed, 05 Nov 2025 23:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=2460 A Saw-Whet Owl has bright yellow eyes, wide open and fixed on camera. Her plumage is brown except for a flourish of white on the forehead and between the eyes. Only her head is visible; the rest of her is wrapped in a mossy teal fabric. The rehabber is behind wearing a navy blue shirt with the circular Think Wild logo in blue and gold, and clinic name in orange. The logo features a deer and raptor in a rocky desert beneath a sunny sky.

Think Wild posted this juvenile Northern Saw-Whet Owl noting she was well-flighted and had started live prey testing. A week later she was self-feeding and hunting crickets, with mouse tests next.

Original post – 30 Jul 2025
by Think Wild Central Oregon

located in Bend, Oregon, US 🇺🇸
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

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

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Aegolius acadicusNorthern Saw-whet OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/hunter-of-crickets/feed/ 0 Close Call Collision https://owlsintowels.org/close-call-collision/ https://owlsintowels.org/close-call-collision/#respond Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=2381 A Northern Pygmy Owl with brown and cream feathers is wrapped in a white towel, held by a pair of blue gloves the way someone might hold a mug of coffee on a winter's day. The owl's expression is comical, in part thanks to: a) feather markings that look like raised eyebrows; b) an open mouth that practically says "I am surprised"; and c) the owl's whole face in a state of recoil, looking down his beak at the camera. The background is out of focus and indistinct—dark blue with some bokeh shapes. From the original post we can see it is the torso of the rehabber with a clip-on walkie-talkie, blue undershirt, and white text displaying workplace details.

29th of Owltober!

Original post – 19 Jan 2025
by Dove Lewis
located in Portland, Oregon
Website | Instagram | Facebook

Original text:

It’s a bird, it’s a plane… Oh, it’s just a tiny adorable pygmy owl! 😲🦉

This little guy had a close call with a car window but is feeling much better after a quick check-up from our team! Thanks to a kind-hearted Good Samaritan who brought him in, he got the care he needed—no injuries, just a bit dazed from his wild ride!

A more dignified photo of our friend, eyes yellow and dilated. He has large *nares* (the bird equivalent of nostrils), which look like a second pair of eyes. The owl is spotted all over, light cream on brown plumage. A second rehabber stands in the background, out of focus in a maroon shirt.
A mid-shot of the Pygmy Owl in profile, perched on the towel with legs secured by the first rehabilitator. Medical items and a computer display are to the back. There's a slight rip in the thumb of the blue glove, and while we can only speculate what caused this, it is noteworthy the puncture is within pecking distance of the owl. From this side angle we see the owl's top beak is curved downwards, and overhangs the lower in a sharp hook. The owl has a stretched oval shaped body, like a feathery gherkin with a tail. The white towel, as it turns out (literally), is printed on one side in a patchwork of black text with various thicknesses and styles. Being bottom-side up however, most of it obscured save the folded-over edge where `SING` and `JOY` are legible words. Elsewhere, `FRIEND`, and `IMAGINE` or `IMAGINATION` are other contenders.

Because of you, this tiny owl is back on his feet (or talons)! Your support of our Wildlife Program makes care like this possible for wildlife in need. ♥️

Link to donate to Dove Lewis for those willing and able.

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Glaucidium californicumNorthern Pygmy OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/close-call-collision/feed/ 0 Lively Long-Eared Owl https://owlsintowels.org/lively-long-eared-owl/ https://owlsintowels.org/lively-long-eared-owl/#respond Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=1903 This Long-Eared Owl appears to be suspended in a sling made from a cream towel. The owl's beak and yellow eyes are wide open - punctuating an expression of shock and annoyance. You can almost hear the screeching through the pixels. Some ruffled head feathers, including the quote-unquote "ears" (which are in fact long feathers) accentuate the owl's wayward look.

1st of Owltober!

Kicking off this month of Owltober we have a lively Long-Eared Owl, originally posted by Think Wild in album captioned “patients that make us smile”

Original post – 04 Mar 2025
by Think Wild Central Oregon

located in Bend, Oregon, US 🇺🇸
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

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

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/lively-long-eared-owl/feed/ 0 Great Gray Owl Exam https://owlsintowels.org/great-gray-owl-exam/ https://owlsintowels.org/great-gray-owl-exam/#respond Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=2040 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, US 🇺🇸
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Original text:

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.

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.

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.
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

]]> https://owlsintowels.org/great-gray-owl-exam/feed/ 0 12 Weeks of Rehab https://owlsintowels.org/12-weeks-of-rehab/ https://owlsintowels.org/12-weeks-of-rehab/#respond Tue, 05 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=601

Original post – 07 Feb 2023
by Think Wild Central Oregon

located in Bend, Oregon, US 🇺🇸
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Original text:

Barred Owl 23-6 (our 6th patient of 2023) was brought to Think Wild on January 25 from Silver Lake, Oregon with a broken wing, possibly from being hit by a car. Staff determined it was a CMC (Carpometacarpal) fracture, basically the wrist bone of the right wing. We applied a wing wrap and treated the bruising and minor eye trauma.

After three months in our care, this Barred Owl had recovered from his wing fracture and bruising, passed his live prey tests, and was released back to the wild in April 18.

For those willing and able please consider helping fund Think Wild Central Oregon at the following DONATION LINK. Your generosity ensures the best possible care for their animal guests.

💛🦉

xo owlsintowels

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Strix variaBarred owlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/12-weeks-of-rehab/feed/ 0 Great Horned Upset https://owlsintowels.org/great-horned-upset/ https://owlsintowels.org/great-horned-upset/#respond Thu, 13 Jul 2023 00:00:15 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=440

Original post – 22 Mar 2021 – Source
by Think Wild Central Oregon

located in Bend, Oregon, US 🇺🇸
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Original text:

A great horned owl being found in the road, contained and treated at Think Wild – all while looking extremely irritated with us! Don’t worry bud, we don’t want you to have to stay long here either. We’ve got the owl on severe emaciation protocol, and the prognosis is still guarded.

Update: Unfortunately the owl’s prognosis was not one of improvement, and it was determined euthanasia was the best course of action. A sad but important reality of wildlife care is that not all of the patients make it. We can be assured this GHOW was provided comfort and mercy thanks to the invaluable efforts by staff at TWCO.

For those willing and able please consider helping fund Think Wild Central Oregon at the following DONATION LINK. Your generosity ensures the best possible care for their animal guests.

💛🦉

xo owlsintowels

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Bubo virginianusGreat horned owlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/great-horned-upset/feed/ 0 Barn Owl Rescued from Barn Ouch https://owlsintowels.org/barn-owl-rescued-from-barn-ouch/ https://owlsintowels.org/barn-owl-rescued-from-barn-ouch/#respond Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:00:53 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=427

Original post – 29 Jan 2023

by Chintimini Wildlife Center, Corvallis, Oregon

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Some wildlife heroes discovered this Barn Owl No.23-29 in a very tricky situation. His foot was trapped on a Barn and was unable to free himself. Fortunately, an Oregon State Police Trooper responded to the call to help with this rescue mission.

Once the Barn Owl was retrieved and brought to our wildlife hospital, our trained staff determined that the right leg received extensive damage. Upon examination, the tissue is bruised with deep puncture wounds. We have begun administering physical therapy three times a day to aid in keeping the tendons loose, prescribing antibiotics, pain medication, and anti-inflammatories.

We anticipate some skin will die and slough off and our Staff Veterinarian will perform a skin graft which is where healthy skin is removed from an unaffected area of the body and used to cover lost or damaged skin.

With a guarded prognosis, we will continue to provide critical care for patient No.23-29. The journey ahead will be long and extensive with a projected time in care of about 8 weeks. Thank you to the wildlife heroes who assisted in giving this Barn Owl a second chance.


💛🦉

xo owlsintowels

]]> https://owlsintowels.org/barn-owl-rescued-from-barn-ouch/feed/ 0