A Rehabbed Burrowing Owl Release That Meant A Lot To Me

It’s always heartwarming when an injured raptor can be released back into the wild but this one was special.

Last spring this male Burrowing Owl was turned over to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah (WRCNU) for rehab after being injured on Antelope Island. His wing injury was quite severe so for some time they thought he might not be releasable but recently his recovery has been so complete it was determined he could be returned to the wild.

Our own April Olson (she’s a good friend and comments here often) is a dedicated volunteer for WRCNU and she invited Mia and I up to the Promontory area of northern Utah yesterday morning to take part in the release. She had been disappointed for us because Galileo’s wing trauma (the same injury to the same wing tendon as this owl suffered) prevented him from being released and us being able to witness it. That had always been a disappointment for us too, mostly for Galileo’s sake of course.

So yesterday morning we drove the 90 miles to the chosen spot (not far from where Galileo had been hung up on the barbed wire), met April at the appointed time, and witnessed the release. Because of continuing server issues I can only post a single image of the event but it should give you a feel for what it was like.

 

1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 100mm

Once he realized April had opened the door the high-strung little owl was out’a there like a shot! He flew past some nearby rocks and disappeared into a low area, chattering at us as he went (I like to think it was happy chatter but he was probably just pissed off at us…). This image should give you some idea of how small these owls really are – with their wings closed they’re only about the size of a soda can.

I’m constantly amazed at the dedication and selflessness of rehabbers and April is a perfect example. I won’t go on and on about it like I could but believe me these folks put everything they have into what they do.

Kudos to DaLyn, Buz and the entire staff at WRCNU and to wildlife rehabbers everywhere.

Ron

 

 

54 Comments

  1. I just have to comment, despite that I’m hideously far behind (thank you Golden Valley Cable!). What a glorious release and how wonderful to put a face to the name, April! I truly miss rehabbing for the joys of release when they never give you a backward glance. Sadly, I can’t trust my hands to do what I want them to do anymore, but I applaud you for the work you do!

  2. Just read this post. This is a nice way to end a day. Thanks for sharing.

  3. FANTASTIC!!

  4. Happy Days for the Owl and you. I wonder do they band the birds when they are rehab and turned loose, in case they are every found again?

  5. Ron, thanks for sharing this uplifting story. I hope that this little owl will survive for many years. It just has to make you smile. The folks at this rehab center deserve a lot of credit for these good stories/outcomes.

  6. Dammit! Who’s chopping onions? :*)

    So glad you and Mia got to to be a part of this little guy’s release and gave us the opportunity to be there by photo proxy! As Dick says, VBG!

  7. WONDERFUL.
    My sentimental eyes are sweating a little. Thank you (so very much) to April, and rehabbers the world over.

  8. YAY! April!! What a great, great image..of a wonderful little bird determined to fly free…and such a wonderful event to witness and be part of!! So great to learn about something so heart lifting these days…Ron, your heart must have soared!!!

    • It certainly did, Patty. And it was great to spend time with April too.

      • When I saw April’s beautiful image, the sweet face and the long hair, I immediately thought, “So there she is, April, daughter of the West Wind”…I think I thought of the WEST wind because its the prevailing wind, the steadiest, and my fsvorite…

  9. Wonderful!

  10. Thanks Ron!

  11. Yay! So great to hear a positive happy story!

  12. That’s fantastic news.

  13. Thank you Ron for the nice photo. I am happy you and Mia enjoyed the release. I have to give all credit to the staff and volunteers who work daily at WRCNU for the birds recovery. I only took it for a long drive and opened the door. I hope he does well with his second chance.

    It was good to see you and Mia!

    • We both enjoyed the heck out of our visit, April. And the experience.

    • “I only took it for a long drive and opened the door.” — You still made a huge difference for this bird! Thank you so much, April, not only for what you do for these birds, but also for arranging things so we could be in the audience! 😀

  14. What a happy time. Congratulations on the success!

  15. Happy for you, Mia, April, the owl, and the other rehab workers. I’m sure it was a special time for you and Mia, but I suspect even more so for April and the other workers because of the effort involved in the rehabilitation.

    • David, it’s my understanding that in the rehab business euthanasia is more common than release so endings like this one are appreciated by all involved.

  16. Yay for the little owl! So fortunate to experience the full cycle of rescue, rehab and release! I’ve had the opportunity to release several rehabbed red-tailed hawks and the joy you feel when that bird takes off for the wild blue yonder is indescribable. And the sorrow when one cannot be saved is so profound. Congratulations to WRCNU, April and all who worked so diligently to return this little owl back to his home. I like to think the fam was waiting for him and they’re having a big celebration now! Thanks for a truly uplifting post and great photo, Ron.

  17. Kent Patrick-Riley

    Fantastic. We have followed your chronicle of this little guy and this unexpected victory brought a smile to many of our faces. A big thank you and the others whose kind work brought him back to his home!

  18. Amazing photo and write up of a wonderful recovery and release. Barbed wire is brutal on wings and the soft tissue damage is usually so extensive that the bird is unable to fly again. Kudos to the rescuer for being able to remove the owl from the wire without further injury and to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah for their wonderful care. Also to April Olsen for volunteering to return the owl to its territory of origin. And thank you, Ron, for posting this and for the tribute to rehabilitators who give so much financially, emotionally and physically to their charges. Most people don’t realize that they operate entirely on donations and rarely some grants…they receive no government funding.

  19. Such a happy post for Sunday. Thank you!

  20. This post put a big smile on my face. I find it interesting that the same injury could heal in one bird and not in another. And even though it’s sad that Galileo couldn’t be released into the wild again, at least he has a reasonably good life compared to not having been rescued… Rehabbers are a very special breed and I appreciate all they do for our wildlife.

  21. Sharon Constant

    Brings tears to my eyes. I’m so glad you and Mia got to participate!

  22. Great way to start the day, Ron! Wing injuries are often the worst, so it’s really nice to see the best outcome for this little owl!

  23. Charlotte Norton

    Marvelous Ron and cudos to all who protect wildlife!!

    Charlotte

  24. Nice image! Thanks for the note and recognition that wildlife rehabbers deserve!
    I agree, he was ticked off and just wanted to let it out!! VBG!

  25. COOL! Wonderful the owl could get “back out there” and you could witness the release! 🙂 They sure are “tiny” critters – photo really shows that off! 🙂 Kudo’s to the rehab workings – has to be difficult and, sometimes, heartbreaking work.

    • Judy, the hearts of rehabbers are constantly broken. That kind of work is stressful and traumatic, especially for folks who care as much about critters as they do.

  26. Good news to start my morning.

  27. What a wonderful happy ending, thanks to amazing people!

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