Jamie and All,
The guy I talked to said that there was a concern that the dogs in the area (probably owned by campers) would get to the owl, which was one reason why it was picked up. I am not sure if the branches were within reach--maybe with a big ladder?
Penny Koyama
Bothell

----- Original Message -----
From: J. Acker
To: 'TWEETERS'
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2011 6:58 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Good Intentions- Wanapum State Park Long Eared owlet(LEOW)


In response to my email updating the status of the LEOW family, I received several emails that stated that one of the young had fallen from the nest earlier and was on the ground. The DFW was contacted, and the young LEOW carted off to a rehab center.



While the world is full of good intentions, as my father used to say, "the road to hell was paved with them." The adult LEOW were and are, still in attendance of their nestling(s). They can do a much better job of raising a LEOW than any rehab center can possibly hope to (and considerably cheaper). I do not understand why DFW took the bird away, unless it was injured.



It is COMMON for young owls, particularly those that use stick nests, to end up on the ground after leaving the nest. This is perfectly natural. The young at this stage are "branchers", and are capable of pulling themselves up trees using their beak, talons, and wings. The remaining young LEOW at Wanapum is a testament to this. It was up in a Ponderosa Pine maybe fifty feet from the nest tree, and is unable to fly.



So, as a learning experience for the Tweeter community, the most appropriate response for a "downed" owlet in this case near a known nest with attendant parents, is to either leave the bird alone to do its thing, or if there is a predator around, place the bird on a tree limb several feet off the ground. In the case of the Wanapum owlet, we did the bird a disservice by sending it to a rehab center (unless of course there was an injury to the owlet.)



J. Acker

owler at sounddsl.com

Bainbridge Island, WA





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