Friends, I'm sorry that I have sad news from Sarvey.

Our third owl died overnight Tuesday/Wednesday. It was not injured, and the folks at Sarvey aren't sure what killed it. They were treating it for trichamoniasis, which they told me is a protozoal infection that the mother would have acquired from a drinking source and then passed by mouth to the young. Our owlet had a symptomatic lesion in the mouth but the disease wasn't far advanced. This may have been the cause of death, or it may have been something else.

Everyone at Sarvey was surprised the owl had died. The vet, Leslie, pointed out that we don't really know how long the birds had been "without resources" before we found them. She said they had been hydrating and providing food in liquid form, and were going to start real food Wednesday.

Unfortunately, chances are that the mother owl also has the disease, so she is probably at risk.

I'll be interested to know what you all make of this. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.

I might just add that I've never before handled any bird, or seen one so close. I hope I'll never forget the owl's eyes or the wondrous, delicate patterns of its feathers. It was a deeply moving experience.

For the birds,
Mary