Editor’s note: This post and photo are by Simone Lupson-Cook, a neighborhood resident and falconer who also posts at WingTrip.
Sunday night in the spitting rain a neighbor knocked on the door and said he had found a baby owl in the street. I knew immediately it wouldn’t be a baby as breeding season for owls has long since passed but wondered…would it even really be an owl?
It seemed unusual for an owl to be in our neighborhood, although we did have a Barred Owl in the backyard earlier in the year. Out the door I went, wearing an owl shirt (not planned, mind you). There in the headlights of the neighbor’s friend’s car sat a Northern Saw-whet Owl.
Saw-whet Owls are one of our smallest owls (around 100 grams) so it was no surprise my neighbor and his friends thought it was a baby. I had the friends distract the small owl while I snuck up and plucked him out of harm’s way.
He was weak and one eye was closed more than the other, but he had enough left in him to put eight talons in my hand during the transfer into a nice, comfy box with towels. He also snapped his beak at me repeatedly, an owl’s way of telling potential predators to back off.
I volunteer at Sarvey Wildlife in Arlington (www.sarveywildlife.org) and we were soon off for some much needed fluids and pain meds for the owl. He has a bruised ear but other than that should be fine and able to be released.
What, you may ask, is a small, usually secretive owl doing in the middle of the road in Maple Leaf? Most likely this owl was on migration and does not live in the area. He may have become weak during the journey or decided to look for prey too close to the road.
Saw-whet Owls mostly feed on small rodents, especially deer mice. I am not a rodent expert but I would say mice are scarce in a neighborhood like Maple Leaf. (Someone please correct me if I’m wrong; rats are another story all together!)
From Seattle Audubon’s BirdWeb:
Some Northern Saw-whet Owls are residents, while others migrate, either latitudinally or altitudinally. Recent studies suggest that more migrate than had been previously thought. In Washington, birds from Canada and mountainous areas winter in Washington’s lowlands.
If you happen to find an injured bird or animal in the Seattle area, Sarvey is a good option as a rescue center. You can find locations for drop-off points on their website.
About 10 years ago I found a barred owl standing beside the road in Des Moines, Wa. It was on the fog line just standing there as vehicles zoomed by. Seem odd. I parked, walked up to it and it just looked up at me. I easily picked it up and took it to a vet who called Sarvey. Great people and have supported them since.
We also have an abundance of vermin in our immediate area (91st/15th), owls and other predators are most welcome here.
Also, my wife was out taking the garbage to the alley a couple of weeks ago late at night and saw a large owl fly overhead, so apparently there are more around than we might assume.
Eric, I’m afraid the last-mentioned vermin would be out of the Saw-whet’s league. An aggressive cat could prey upon a Saw-whet, although it might get hurt in the process You’ll need a Great Horned Owl to take cats and cockapoos. If you have a spare large tree, see page 4 here…
http://extension.umd.edu/publications/pdfs/fs802.pdf
Thanks for sharing! I hope his release back into the wild goes well.
Great story!! Thanks!
Believe mice are abundant in the area. My cats eat them all the time.
I’m glad you were nearby when the neighbors found the owl and that you were able to help it. It is so cute! Thanks for the information about the owl and how to help injured birds.
This little owl can come by my neighborhood in Seattle and time she/he wants. We not only have plenty of mice, moles, rats, but also cats and cockapoos for the little critter to fead on, once it finds itself in good health.
What a wonderful story!