Great Horned Owl
Very sad to advise that on April 17, during the ice and wind storm in Ottawa, I was watching the nest and witnessed a chunk of ice knock the mother unconscious which caused her to fall over 10 meters to the ground. She was severely concussed and is being cared for by Safe Wings Ottawa. If she survives and once stabilized, she will be transported to The Owl Foundation In Niagara. The 2 owlets were rescued later in the evening thanks to a lot of effort by caring people who got involved and a tree climber was able to climb during very difficult conditions. The babies would not have survived the night if we had not been able to find a climber at a time when all the arborists in the region were responding to emergencies. They are doing very well and will also be transported to the Owl Foundation where a foster owl will take over the parenting if the mother does not recover and is unable to care for them. Thank you all for your interest and generous comments regarding this beautiful owl. To follow progress, go to The Owl Foundation's Facebook page.
As of April 20, this owl family was transferred to The Owl Foundation where the mother is making some progress but still in very serious condition. The owlets are doing very well, being cared for by the foster GHO, and could be released in August or September. For progress reports, go to the Owl Foundation’s Facebook page.
The owlets were released in the wild in the same region they were born, in late September 2018. The Owl Foundation tried very hard to rehabilitate the mother owl and while she made some progress, the owl continued to suffer from neurological problems as a result of the skull fracture and severe concussion it sustained from the falling chunk of ice from above the nest. There was evidence of chronic pain and her condition would not improve further. The Foundation staff made the humane decision to euthanize the owl some time in December 2018.
Great Horned Owl
Very sad to advise that on April 17, during the ice and wind storm in Ottawa, I was watching the nest and witnessed a chunk of ice knock the mother unconscious which caused her to fall over 10 meters to the ground. She was severely concussed and is being cared for by Safe Wings Ottawa. If she survives and once stabilized, she will be transported to The Owl Foundation In Niagara. The 2 owlets were rescued later in the evening thanks to a lot of effort by caring people who got involved and a tree climber was able to climb during very difficult conditions. The babies would not have survived the night if we had not been able to find a climber at a time when all the arborists in the region were responding to emergencies. They are doing very well and will also be transported to the Owl Foundation where a foster owl will take over the parenting if the mother does not recover and is unable to care for them. Thank you all for your interest and generous comments regarding this beautiful owl. To follow progress, go to The Owl Foundation's Facebook page.
As of April 20, this owl family was transferred to The Owl Foundation where the mother is making some progress but still in very serious condition. The owlets are doing very well, being cared for by the foster GHO, and could be released in August or September. For progress reports, go to the Owl Foundation’s Facebook page.
The owlets were released in the wild in the same region they were born, in late September 2018. The Owl Foundation tried very hard to rehabilitate the mother owl and while she made some progress, the owl continued to suffer from neurological problems as a result of the skull fracture and severe concussion it sustained from the falling chunk of ice from above the nest. There was evidence of chronic pain and her condition would not improve further. The Foundation staff made the humane decision to euthanize the owl some time in December 2018.