From New Mexico Wildlife Center

Last weekend, our hospital admitted an American Barn Owl who had been found on the ground with an injured wing. The rescuer, a falconer, correctly identified the injury as a fractured humerus and transported the owl to NMWC for care. When the owl was admitted to our hospital, our team took x-rays, started the owl on medications, cleaned some lacerations on the wing, and wrapped the fractured wing to keep it stabilized until surgery.

As you might be able to tell from the x-ray we took when the owl arrived, the fracture is an oblique one; that is, the break is at an angle, which means a substantial length of bone is affected. During surgery, the bone was stabilized with metal pins as well as dissolvable sutures to hold the angled bone ends together.

The last photo [the one I used as the title image] in this set was taken just a few days after surgery, and as you can see, American Barn Owl 24-750 is alert and appropriately defensive (spreading their wings and lowering their head is part of how this species says "go away") toward humans! The fracture, as well as the lacerations near the fracture site, are beginning to heal. We are hopeful that this very feisty (and very loud!) patient will continue to make good progress toward getting back out into the wild.

Photo by Happy Snapper

Dusk is a melanistic barn owl, she is the opposite of an albino. This rare gene mutation occurs 1 in 100,000 with none surviving in the wild. Dusk was hatched in a falconry centre in Lincolnshire and now lives at the owl sanctuary at Winterton, Norfolk..

Photo by Faruk Kizil

Habichtskauz auch Uralkauz

Das Bild entstand an einer Futterstelle beim Falkner in den Niederlande.

Ural owl (Strix uralensis)

The picture was taken at a feeding place of a falconer in Netherlands.

One of the given translations called this Habich's Owl, so I tried to find out who Habich was. Took me way too long to figure out Habich was not a person, it means goshawk in German. The German wiki entry had a lot of info the US one didn't though.

The species is referred to as Slaguggla, or “attacking owl”, in Swedish, Habichtskauz, or “goshawk-owl”, in German or as the “long-tailed owl” in Russian.

Attempts to re-introduce the owl have been partly successful in the German-Austrian-Czech border region (Bavarian Forest , Bohemian Forest , and Šumava), and most recently in the Vienna Woods.

Austria seems to have a difficult time with the project as people keep shooting them. 🙄

From Owl Rescue Centre

A couple of photos of our 20 000 wildlife rescues that we've done over the last fifteen years. Initially we were just doing it for fun, but looking back now, 20 000 is a big number and one we're pretty proud of. We can't tell you how many thousands of nights we've spent on the road traveling to rescues across the country, never mind the days. Hopefully we have made a positive difference to the conservation status of a few of these guys.

Agreeably, many of them are common species and don't attract the attention of corporates or individuals that would wish to sponsor a wildlife organisation, but we are of the belief that every living creature should be afforded the opportunity to live a full and enjoyable life.

That's something we've had limited success with, attracting sponsors that is, and something we're going to need to mention more often. The last few photos is of us going to potential fundraiser meetings dressed as pirates, air hostesses and rock stars. And that's because we still just do this for fun!

Edit: Just updated all the pics with any info I could find.

It's really amazing so the animals this couple had helped. I've been enjoying their content since I found them. They work very hard, cover a ton of territory, and have a great sense of humor.

They must be at this 24/7, so they must be absolutely ~~living~~ (should have said loving, but they do both appear to be very much alive and well) and dedicated people.

From Owl Rescue Centre

Photo by Jeremy Jonkman

I captured this unique wing angle of a barred owl taking off a perch. during my sequence of images he flew right at me and landed on a stump less than 10 feet from me trying to catch a squirrel which it missed by inches. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for any constructive comments. Taken in King County.

From Friends of Free Wildlife

On 3 Jun 2024 a beautiful adult spotted eagle owl was brought to FFW by a representative of South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (SAWRC) in Pretoria. This poor owl had been trapped in a barbed-wire fence and was fortunate to have been spotted by a caring member of the public who deftly untangled and removed the owl from the barb and dropped it off at Monument Park Vet. SAWRC were contacted and their wonderful volunteers promptly collected the bird and applied much needed first aid to the multiple lacerations on its wing before moving it to FFW for further care and rehabilitation.

After thorough examination the owl was found to have bruising and swelling of the right elbow and given a course of antibiotics and appropriate wound care. It made a remarkable recovery and was soon moved to a flight cage to ensure it was flight-fit and prepared for release. A second spotty was incidentally already undergoing rehab in a flight cage and the two were introduced and moved in together. They formed a close bond, perching side by side and softly calling in duet. On 21 Jul 2024 it was decided that both owls should be released together since they had established a tight bond, and were collected by the amazing volunteers from (SAWRC). There was much excitement and a number of interested folk from the area came to watch while these two gorgeous owls were successfully released back in the area.

The collaboration between SAWRC and FFW in this story was crucial to ensure the best outcome for these special birds.

Nice video of their release at the link.

Photo by Gary R. Howard Jr

From New Mexico Wildlife Center

Just how much of an owl's silhouette is created by feathers? Most of it! A recent windy day gave us a peek under the surface of American Barn Owl Ambassador Corazón's feathers. What you see on the top of her head is just the sandy-colored tips of her feathers, all layered together and slightly curved at the end. Underneath, you can see the full length of each feather and the way they create a dense, downy coat with surprising depth! Feathers provide very effective protection against the elements, especially the cold weather that we'll start to see pretty soon. Many birds' feathers also provide waterproofing protection, and the colors and patterns on feathers can be a great way for a bird to either blend in with their surroundings or stand out when they want a potential mate to notice them. For many owls, their unusually soft, velvety feathers also dampen the sounds created by their own body in flight, giving them the ability to fly silently!

Corazón is a medium-sized owl with a wingspan of almost 4 feet, but she's light as a feather (well, many thousands of feathers, technically): she tips the scales at about 1.25 pounds! (567 grams)

From David Attenborough Fans

This set of 31 claws and talons allowS you to compare their size and appreciate the functional differences connected to the different behaviors in hunting and eating.

The GHO and Barn Owl are in the top row.

Are there any surprises for you in getting to compare them?

Pound for pound, the raptors have some pretty big pokey bits.

Photo by Johann Es

Ein Boobookkautz, aufgenommen auf dem Großen Feldberg im Taunus, bei einem Greifvogel Workshop.

Google's Translation:

A Boobook Owl, photographed on the Großer Feldberg in the Taunus, during a bird of prey workshop.

Original Facebook Translation:

A boobook machete, taken on the Großen Feldberg in Taunus, at a bird of prey workshop.

Australian Boobook, thought to be a variety of the NZ Morepork/Ruru up until 1999.

This whole post threw me for a loop. Between Facebook calling it a machete to me wondering why a German was using the Australian word for owl (thought this was a damp Short Eared at first). I wonder how this little one came to be so far from home.

Photos from Stephen Allen

A Boobook not in the mood to be photographed.