Owls at WildCare
It's "Owl-a-palooza" at WildCare right now!
The Wildlife Hospital currently has seven owls of various species in care. This is a surprising number, given that we usually only have one or two of these birds of prey onsite at any given point.
Many of the owls in care right now were hit by cars, although the Great Horned Owl in this photo was found grounded and unable to fly in a pasture at an equestrian riding center.
Meet three more of our recent owl patients in the stories below, and then scroll down to learn why you should give wildlife a "brake" this time of year!
Barn Owl Rescued by California Highway Patrol
This adult Barn Owl ended up on the "right" side of the law! A California Highway Patrol officer spotted the injured owl on the side of the road. Knowing the bird needed aid, he stopped traffic to rescue her.
Once at WildCare, Medical Staff diagnosed the owl with head trauma, a keel fracture, and a fractured right wrist.
In this video, the owl receives her twice-daily medications for pain and inflammation. She is recovering in care and will hopefully be released back to the wild when she's ready.
WildCare is so appreciative of the heroic rescue efforts of the California Highway Patrol Officer who brought this owl to the Wildlife Hospital!
Northern Spotted Owl Hit by Car
This Northern Spotted Owl's rescuers saw her sitting hunched and lethargic on the double yellow line of California's iconic Highway 1. They carefully picked her up and brought her to WildCare.
On intake, she was very thin and she had a heavy load of external parasites. Also, the fourth toe on her right foot was broken and appeared infected and swollen. We don't know how the injury happened, but the toe is undoubtedly a primary reason the bird was struggling to survive. Owls use their powerful feet to grab their prey. With this clearly-painful injury hampering her ability to snatch food, this bird was slowly starving to death.
Medical Staff put the bird on our emaciation protocol, which introduces the animal first to an easily-digestible liquid diet to allow her system to begin to recover. They also wrapped the foot in a "ball bandage" to keep the pressure off the toe until the bird was strong enough for surgery.
As of this writing, the bird continues to slowly gain strength (the case notes say she "clacked her beak aggressively" yesterday). We have hopes she will make a full recovery and be able to return to her life in the wild.
Burrowing Owl Unable to Fly
This wide-eyed Burrowing Owl was found unable to fly in the Oakland Marine Terminal! Fortunately, he was rescued instead of stepped on, and his rescuer brought him across the Bay to WildCare.
The bird was mildly dehydrated, and his mucous membranes were pale, indicating possible anemia or emaciation. An eye exam did not reveal signs of head trauma, and the bird had no broken bones or palpable injuries, so our team wasn't able to determine why he couldn't fly.
Oddly, x-rays indicated four small hollow things of plastic-like consistency in the bird's gastrointestinal tract! The medical notes say that the bird needed to be fasted before another x-ray could be taken.
Another x-ray two days later after a day of fasting showed that the unknown plastic-like items had passed through the bird's system. We will never know what they were, but fortunately they do not seem to have caused additional harm to this owl!
The bird's weight stabilized over the next few days, and as of this writing, he continues to recover in an aviary with another Burrowing Owl patient. We hope he will make a full recovery and be able to be released back to the wild.
This bird's release is good news for him, and also for his species! Burrowing Owls are listed as a species of "least concern" on the Federal Endangered Species list, but in California, and especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, the last 30 years have seen a precipitous decline in Burrowing Owl populations. This decline is mostly due to habitat loss due to human development in their native grasslands.
Successfully rehabilitating this little owl and releasing him back to the wild helps the birds' population in a small way, but a recent vote by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to make the owl a candidate for protection under the state Endangered Species Act will go much further.
An article in the Marin Independent Journal says, "[This decision] temporarily affords the owl the same protections as a state-listed endangered or threatened species and requires state and local agencies to manage threats, such as ending the state policy of allowing the increasingly rare owl’s removal from land slated for urban development. It could also require more robust mitigation for habitat loss."
Read the whole article in the Marin IJ here! and then scroll down to meet this Burrowing Owl in video!
Give Owls (and other wildlife) a "brake"
Why is WildCare seeing an increase in owl patients hit by cars? There are a couple of likely reasons.
First, this year was an absolutely banner year for raptors of all species. WildCare's Raptor Reunite Team, which renests raptor chicks with their parents, had our busiest year ever with approximately 30 reunites. Rainy winters the last couple of years probably contributed to healthy raptor populations in 2024, and our team was kept very busy this spring and early summer returning fluffy baby hawks and owls to their nests.
Second, it's getting dark earlier, which means that nocturnal owls are more active earlier. As the days get shorter, animals' schedules change, but our human schedules do not. This means that more animals are active at times like the busy evening commute, putting them in the path of people and cars.
Finally, most of these owls are young birds in their first year. Inexperienced hunters are more likely to search for prey in hazardous areas, like the grassy verge next to the highway that might offer a bounty of rodent prey, but also increased risk from passing vehicles.
All of these causes and more have likely contributed to WildCare's current "Owl-a-palooza." Fortunately, our team has the specialized skills, and WildCare's Transition location offers the specialized caging, required to heal these extraordinary birds and return them to their lives in the wild.
How can you help owls?
Especially as we move out of Daylight Savings Time and the clocks fall back, WildCare wants to remind everyone to give wildlife a "brake" and drive especially carefully. Slow down, watch for animals on the side of the road, and call WildCare's Hotline at 415-456-7283 if you see an injured animal.