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I rescued a baby owl.

shiv

John
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After much deliberation I decided to let Puppy out of his basket to stretch his legs and wings. He’s been cooped up not moving around much and if he’s going to be able to fly and become a predator, knowing how to get around on the ground is pretty important. I also noticed a ton of flies hanging around the basket which was a good sign there were some dead critters inside.

When I climbed the ladder I realized just how much Puppy had been eating - and shitting. The basket was full of owl pellets, shit, and a whole squirrel head. No meals being missed.

As I mentioned, Puppy has grown 3x at least in mass since my last pics outside the basket. I guessed at about a 3 ft wingspan, which is a huge step for him as flight feathers look healthy.Good news, he hissed at me, which means imprinting on mama is happening. Once he got on my glove he was totally chilled out.

I put him on the ground while I cleaned the nest. He seemed happy to hop around and flap his wings since he doesn’t have a ton of room to move in the basket.

Once he had a good stretch I put him back in his basket. He went back with no issue. View attachment 7849View attachment 7850View attachment 7851View attachment 7852
Check out the size of this lad! Puppy is gonna be an absolute unit
 

scanodd

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Very cool. I watch a pair of falcons that nest on an office building in Baltimore and it should be getting close to egg laying time.

 

JuliusLeRoy

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great story and deed on OP’s part but....


fh6TXt.jpg
 

scanodd

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Good question. Based on wing development, I would guess in the next couple weeks. He’s flapping his wings quite a bit, so it definitely won’t be long.
I found this info.

In January, Great Horned Owls start nesting and raise their families in the middle of winter. The eggs will hatch within one month, and six weeks after hatching, the owlets will leave their nest to walk around. It takes another three weeks for the owlets to learn how to fly, although the parents will continue to feed and care for their offspring for several months.

I'm jealous of you.
 

Sloppy Mexican

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Barred owls are some of my favorites man. Their calls will send a shiver down your spine. I remember taking my daughter deer hunting when she was about 5, it was really more of a walk in the woods. We heard a barred owl calling and she looked up and said “Daddy is that a monkey?” I laughed and confirmed that it was indeed a monkey.
 

CurtOFD78

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Bro you ain't got a fire station anywhere nearby ? Find a ladder truck and ask the guys. I would do it in a heart beat. 40 feet ain't shit.

Hell film it and use it as a feel good piece in the local media. They love that shit.
Great use for the ladder truck. After they get done shopping and working out they can put the owl back in the nest.

I kid, I kid. I'm an engine guy.

Awesome thread by the way. I am very interested to see how this plays out.
 

RJ2kWJ

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Great use for the ladder truck. After they get done shopping and working out they can put the owl back in the nest.

I kid, I kid. I'm an engine guy.

Awesome thread by the way. I am very interested to see how this plays out.

I think we figured it out in the past few posts. Thing is planning a, hopefully captured by pic or video, double homicide of two dogs. We should ship it some of @Nape s hot sauce for its first hunted down condiment. We’d have a Crootn mascot for life.
 

UNC71-00

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So tell me about that split log you have ziptied to the Kroger shopping basket- the one on the front. I understand the one on the back.
 

Sloppy Mexican

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So tell me about that split log you have ziptied to the Kroger shopping basket- the one on the front. I understand the one on the back.
I zip tied it to the front to give mama something similar to a limb to perch on. The plastic basket doesn’t have much width and I didn’t trust it to be sturdy enough to support a full grown owl, or Puppy once size becomes a more important factor.
 

Sloppy Mexican

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Big update for the regulars.

Puppy is now perching on the edge of the basket and mama visited this afternoon but did not feed. Mama is clearly trying to coax Puppy down to the ground, it’s time to learn how to hunt!
6DA9798A-BF9A-49C9-AB86-E5E8C1C30D8B.jpeg
Puppy’s sibling flew down today and is now on the ground in my neighbors yard. You can tell this dude has had mama’s full attention as he seems to be more developed than Puppy, and not to mention mean as damn rattlesnake. I got within about 10 yards and he assumed an owls defensive posture and began hissing and clicking his beak. Puppy isn’t far behind.
F81C1F88-6CE5-4D84-B273-AC489A688CE2.jpeg
Amazing how aware and afraid of humans this bird is compared to Puppy, although Puppy doesn’t much like anyone getting too close anymore either. I think Puppy will be gone from the basket for good in the coming days, and hopefully will learn to hunt and become the badass motherfucker he is destined to be.
 

Cyberty

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What in the world? What is making up the giant peacock like fan over its head? I can see the wings near the ground on both sides, but what the fuck is that giant heart shaped feather blossom? Beautiful feather circles. But that is weird. You should send this pic to National Geographic magazine. Amazing.

If I walked up on that while going around the truck, I would piss myself. Then run. There is no way I would think it’s just a juvenile owl. I would think that a mutated peacock broke out of the genetics lab.

Thanks for the posts and updates @Sloppy Mexican
 
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