Injured Barred Owl @ Church & Norris Street
Decatur Metro | September 14, 2009 | 9:15 amUPDATE: The barred owl has been transported by DeKalb Animal Control to “For Pet’s Sake” and has already had x-rays taken. See the comments section for more details. Chris Billingsley deserves major thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Oh man. This morning report from Chris Billingsley…
This morning, around 5:20, while walking the dog, I found an injured barred owl in the middle of Church Street at Norris Street. With the help of two runners, we were able to manoeuver it to the side of the road. The bird appears to be injured. I called a number of people to see if the creature could be saved. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Those of us who live near Glen Lake Park usually hear these magnificent creatures at night and sometimes see them flying through the trees. But to see one up close is something that I will not soon forget.
I’ve replied to Chris, but I assume he’s in class for most of the day. If anyone lives near this intersection and can report whether the owl is still there, it would be much appreciated.
View Larger Map
The Decatur Emergency Animal Clinic is one street over across from DHS, and they might be able to help if the owl is still there.
Ohmy gosh…please will someone post if anyone was able to help this owl.
Yes, please post! I’ve been worried about this poor owl all morning. And often I’ve seen 2 together – I think they mate for life – so I worry about the partner as well.
I called Decatur Emergency Clinic…no owl. They don’t assist with wildlife ie they would have called Dept. of Natural Resources, Zoo Atlanta or something.
Now I will be worried all day.
For Pet’s Sake on North Druid Hills partners with the largest bird rescue group in Atlanta. You can drop off the owl there, they will take a look at it, and the rescue people will pick it up if it can be helped. Otherwise the vet will euthanize it painlessly. I encourage you to pick up the owl, put it in a box, and take it down there.
I meant to mention, I rescued a baby crow a few months ago and all phone calls and web searches led to For Pet’s Sake. They were really helpful.
After a few phone calls, the group to contact is AWARE (atlanta wild animal rescue effort, http://www.awareone.org/). However, Michael Ellis there told me that he would need someone who is actually on location to stay with the animal, so his volunteer doesn’t go there and have to seek the animal out. I really hope that someone has taken this owl to a vet already and that it will be nursed back to health soon.
I asked my husband to go over to the site and look for the owl. He could not find it. He looked around pretty well and in the shrubs. So, either someone picked him up or he was able to fly up to the trees.
Hmm, I just drove by there. There was a Decatur Animal Control truck and a very confused looking officer. The owl was definitely there and the officer had put some kind of blanket over it. I couldn’t stop there so I don’t know if it was still alive or what they planned to do.
If he put a blanket over it, that doesn’t sound good, but still hoping for the best.
I found the owl was huddled next to a telephone pole at the corner of Norris and Church. I called the police. The City Animal Control guy, Officer Cantrell, responded . He said he had been by several times this morning but hadn’t been able to find the owl.
We spoke to someone at For Pet’s Sake. The blanket was used according to her instructions in order to control the bird’s (very dangerous ) talons.
Officer Cantrell took the owl to For Pet’s Sake. They will examine the bird and do what they can to stabilize it. If they think is not too far gone for rehab , they will transfer it to a certified rehabilitator.
Update on the owl:
now being x rayed to find the extent of the injuries.
For Pet’s Sake staff has promised to post info about the owls condition here on DM later today.
A million thanks to you ‘for the birds.’ Your previous post made me tear up a little bit.
Fingers crossed for the owl.
The owl (called a Barred Owl ) was transported safely here at For Pets Sake by officer Cantrell of Dekalb Animal Control. Presently our doctor is examining and it appears to not be badly injured, however head trauma can take hours to show abnormal signs. We will keep it here and treat it for shock, but the next 24 hours will tell us more. No apparent fractures noted on examination or xrays..just a small laceration near a wing. Thank you to everyone for all the concern and swift action getting it here safely.
Janelle, Veterinary Technician @ For Pet’s Sake
Thanks for keeping us updated Janelle!
You guys provide a great service! What type of organization are you? Do you accept donations?
We are a full service veterinary hospital for exotics ONLY. No dogs or cats. We also deal closely with various wildlife rehabilitators of which those particular organizations take donations. (A.W.A.R.E. Michael Ellis)
Thanks again everyone,
janelle
Thank you For Pet’s Sake! BTW, this is a great vet’s office for anyone who has an exotic animal (aka, bird, ferret, mouse, rabbit, gerbil, etc.). We have taken many of our small furry friends to them over the years and they have done a terrific job. We have also taken them more than one injured wild bird, and they have never turned us a way and never charged us a dime.
Bravo!!!
Yeah, I should have realized it was alive. The way Officer Cantrell threw the towel over it and then ran was obviously so that he didn’t get hurt. Sorry Officer, but it looked pretty funny. I’m not saying I would have done any better, but it did look like something out of a comedy. Looking back on it, I’m damn glad he got there before I did, because I don’t know what the hell I was thinking I could do!
Had a friend who helped an injured falcon. It was lying on its back and slashed with its talons, narrowly missing her jugular. Raptors need to be approached with caution!
Death by owl would have been a real shitty way to go. Thanks again to Officer Cantrell for saving me from that danger and to For Pets Sake for taking the poor thing in!
This entire conversation should be on some sort of “best of” decatur metro — really appreciate everyone’s updates.
I agree. It’s like a short film in words.
The suspense!
This result is just great. Hope Hooty gets better very soon.
So tomorrow we can look forward to reports of several beached blowfish?
Thanks Chris and DM (and all others involved) for showing compassion for this wonderful animal. You humanity is reassuring and appreciated.
I second (third and fourth) AWARE. Mr. Ellis visited my house over Labor Day weekend to “catch” a Copperhead that was stuck in my vegetable garden. There is nothing like a pissed off Copperhead that is stuck in 1″ chicken wire.
Please keep them in mind if you have wild life concerns.
Oh, here’s video of Mr. Ellis in action as he takes care of our little snake problem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQejrWF4Iq8
He’s a true professional. http://www.awareone.org
This a one beautiful snake but no way I want to see him in my veggie garden – YIKES !
Just a guess but I’ll bet Mr. Ellis’ car is never rifled through-locked doors or no…:-)
Thanks for the video! That man is a hero.
This is just one of the reasons I love Decatur– even the most cynical among us can spare a thought for an injured, helpless animal. My heart feels two sizes too big after reading how so many folks pitched in to help rescue this majestic bird (Chris B & DM, there’s no doubt you guys sounding the alarm made all the difference). I feel like giving everybody a great big squeezy hug right now!!!
I hope our feathered friend makes a full recovery. For Pet’s Sake is definitely going to be getting a donation from the Libres!
And we must also give extra thanks to “for bird’s sake” who found the bird when no one else could!!
Oh, absolutely– no intention to take away the much-deserved kudos to “For the Birds” (and, of course, magpie for alerting For Pet’s Sake). Sorry to leave anyone out!
I’m so glad my very first post on DM (after many months of reading but not posting; it’s a little intimidating) helped get that owl into the right hands!
I love my neighborhood. A big thank you to everyone involved in getting him rescued.
I called about Mr. Hooty (or Ms. Hooty) this afternoon b/c I was just so curious. He is standing up which is apparently a good sign. I was a little unclear on whether they were going to transport him to a wildlife rehab center tonight or tomorrow morning. I hope that we will hear from our friends at For Pet’s Sake to see how s/he did through the night!
They will be getting a donation from me too!
Barred owls are the coolest. We had a nest in our backyard a few years ago, and one of the branchlings got stuck on our deck. It was about 2 ft. tall and fluffy like a little chick. It needed to get out of the sun so I was going to just pick it up, but then I saw that Little Fluffy had enormous black talons. I put a towel over him and carried him to the yard under a tree…. his mom watching me the whole time. He finally got himself back up in the tree.
At least two barred owls are regularly in the trees behind our house every night (near the Oakhurst garden), and they were integral in helping us get through a colicky newborn. Nothing silences a screaming baby at 2:00 am like the baboon-like hooting of two barred owls in your back yard…
“My plan will not cover owl x-rays.”
“You lie.”
Hilarious.
Go Hooty.
So will Hooty be the official DM mascot from now on?
Hooty for Mayor! No offense to Mayor Floyd of course.
Those are such beautiful (and BIG) birds. I remember jogging in the woods by the Hooch years ago and one swooped down from a tree just over my head. I hit the dust as fast as possible because of the size of that thing. Scared the crap out of me! Hope he recovers (w/out the desire to swoop on small children!).
Is it possible to “tag” hooty with some sort of transceiver so s/he can be tracked and we can keep up with this whereabouts? That would be kinda cool.
Here is a link to learn more about Barred Owls. They are non-migratory so maybe s/he is a Decaturite.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_Owl
I called For Pet’s Sake this morning. They said that Hooty made it through the night and is now with a wildlife rehabilitator. DM, I hope you can keep in touch with Hooty and let us know when/if he is released to the wild.
Thanks for the update Mr. FixIt!
I’ll look into it and report back.
Man, this thread has done my heart & mind good– this has been an especially rough week at work, and there’s nothing like a good animal rescue story to make one feel that all will be right with the world. And a big thanks to Mr. FixIt for updating us about Hooty…
Now, in the immortal words of Nelliebelle, let’s all hold hands and sing! 🙂
“Our” owl is now at AWARE wildlife rehab center near Arabia Mountain. They are observing it for signs of previously undetected injuries or other health issues . X-rays showed no broken bones but the bird did suffer some blunt force trauma – probably hit by a car.
Mr Ellis said when/if the bird regains its strength and is back to normal, it will be released near the area it was found .
I asked whether the owl is male or female . They don’t know. There aren’t any outward differences between male and female barred owls. Size is the best predictor of gender – females are larger than males . Mr Ellis has not yet weighed this bird to try to determine its gender.
AWARE is a a non profit organization. They have a website . ( I found it with google – I think it is http://www.awareone.org ) . I am sure they’d welcome donations . For Pets Sake treated a another owl yesterday – a screech owl. That bird, too , went to AWARE for rehab. Between owls and copperheads, I guess they stay pretty busy.
To minimize disruption for AWARE, it might be a good idea to have only one person check in with Mr Ellis about the status of the bird. Decatur Metro – I think you are the best person to do that . You can get the info posted quickly in way we can all follow.
Absolutely “for the birds”. I had actually asked For Pet’s Sake for the name of the owl’s rehabilitator earlier today, but you just beat me to it!
I’ll check in with them in a day or so and see what else I can find out. I think it would be pretty interesting to hear more about how owls are rehabilitated and specifically what “Hooty” might need.
In the meantime, here’s a direct link to AWARE’s donation page. Looks like a pretty easy process.
All this time I thought it was a Bard Owl.
I wonder if its injury had anything to do with the tree removal at Glenlake Park?
Thank you all for the great updates! Been worried about Hooty.