From Marcellus Muller
A few Short Eared Owl flight shots Photographed in Upstate New York on a Nikon D500- Nikkor AF-S 600mm F/4E lens + 1.4t.c
this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2025
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For owls that are superb.
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.
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"Barred owl has the facial disc, right?"
*opens post*
"Dangit!"
Not the worst guess!
Shortie has yellow eyes and a dark beak, Barred has dark eyes and a yellow beak.
this is a random thought, but I kind of wonder if they ever just... fly for fun.
not hunting or finding small game. like I wonder if they ever just have a nice breezy day and they're like "Hell yeah..." and they go up in the air stream and just cruise for a bit.
I'm sure they do a bit of patrolling and looking for new things that show up on their turf.
From talking to vulture people, those raptors seem to do it to just chill since they can just float in the air currents and it uses almost zero energy.
Active flying is very energy intense, and migrating owls can lose significant body weight (20%-ish) over a few days. Calories are life, so conserving them by snoozing is probably a bonus moreso than flying.
I like to picture them enjoying it too though. How could they not get any enjoyment from such a special ability. If you haven't seen Wild Robot yet, the part of learning to fly was so touching! The whole movie was amazing. 🥹
daww. yeah I guess it would take a lot of energy to fly. but I hope deep down they have fun when they do it =D