For owls that are superb.
Also visit our twinned community for wholesome content:
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US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now
International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com
Australia Rescue Help: WIRES
Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org
If you find an injured owl:
Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.
Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.
Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.
If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.
For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.
From Ken Anderson
Short-eared Owls in the deep freeze. ❄️
Ice forms around their eyes as they hunt in temperatures below -25°C.
It's incredible how they endure these extremes. Dense plumage, a fast metabolism, and pure instinct keep them alive through the harshest winter days.
Eyeliner and lipstick: fierce.
Even their regular eyeliner is the best in the raptor world, but this icy new shade, combined with that "don't mess with me" red lipstick really makes a lasting impression!
Beauty Shortie!
Do owls migrate? I mean, they do when they're following migratory prey but otherwise?
No, yes, and kinda!
No - Most do not, and don't typically go more than a few miles from where they are born.
Yes - Some species do migrate. Flammulated Owls migrate from the Western US to Mexica and Central America, Saw Whets go from Canada and the Northern US and Rockies down into warmer climates in the US, and Eurasian Scops will migrate from Eurasia to Africa regularly each year.
Kinda - Owls like Snowy Owl do what are called irruptions. Unlike a migration which is regular, irruptions are not every year, it's not always the same time, and it's not to a regular spot. It can be, but it's not required and not considered unusual if it's not. They will move as prey moves. For ones like Snowies where the extreme cold might not be hospitable enough for their prey, they will move just far enough to find unclaimed territory with adequate prey. When conditions improve back where they like to live, they'll head back home.
I have heard vultures have a very lazy behavior like this, where sometimes the move is very short, even just a county or so away from where they live, but as they require other animals' populations to sustain them, they have to go where the food goes, even if that isn't very far at all.
Excellent. And a new word! Irruption!
My favorite Van Halen solo of all time. Naturally inspired by Snowies!
😆
