For owls that are superb.
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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.
Community Rules:
Posts must be about owls. Especially appreciated are photographs (not AI) and scientific content, but artwork, articles, news stories, personal experiences and more are welcome too.
Be kind. If a post or comment bothers you, or strikes you as offensive in any way, please report it and moderators will take appropriate action.
AI is discouraged. If you feel strongly that the community would benefit from a post that involves AI you may submit it, but it might be removed if the moderators feel that it is low-effort or irrelevant.
Also visit our twinned community for wholesome content:
We are so thankful for The Raptor Center's mobile vet unit! Dr. Annette and Jamie came down yesterday to give all seven of our owls their annual checkups, including radiographs for some. This prevents the owls from having to spend five hours in a vehicle being transported to and from The Raptor Center, and saves Owl Center staff a lot of time since it would take more than one trip to haul everybirdy up there.
Check the comments for all their adventures!
Bea the Burrowing Owl getting put under for her radiographs. Her radiographs made her look like a potato with stick legs...she's, um, "plump."
Now I want to see the radiographs.
Not the same owl, this is a Burrowing Owl with subcutaneous emphysema, air under the skin, but you still get the idea.
JR the Eastern Screech-Owl slowing waking up from anesthesia (he had radiographs taken.) Aside from being on the plump side, he's in good health.
Interestingly, although Iris the Great Horned Owl has one really messed up eye due to an old puncture wound, there is still some response to light.
Pierce the Barred Owl was not a fan of getting his bill trimmed.
Alice the Great Horned Owl's eyes show her age...she is almost 29 years old. She has a substantial brood patch, although she is less nesty this year and didn't lay any eggs last year. She has arthritis, substantial cataracts, and atherosclerosis.
A nice view of Iris the Great Horned Owl, with Jamie holding her after her exam.
Dr. Annette drawing blood from Piper the American Barn Owl. She's in good condition and not overweight like last year. She's already showing a brood patch.
Dr. Annette trimming Ruby the Great Horned Owl's talons while Karla puts new jesses on her. She was put under for her first radiographs and is in good shape.
That’s a weird looking space helmet.
Careful now! The doctor just told me I'll be getting one pretty similar to that.
Apparently I've been feeling like crap for the last year because my body doesn't want to breathe when I sleep anymore. 😵💫
Yeah, sleep apnea is some bullshit!
There's good news, though: finally waking up refreshed rather than more tired than when you fell asleep feels AMAZING!
Especially if you have very severe apnea and/or have had it a long time before getting the diagnosis.
I was honestly hoping that was going to be what was wrong with me, as it at least seems like something fairly straightforward to treating. I was worried I was just getting stupid or depressed again, but this hopefully explains my rather sudden decline over the last year. They said I had 67 events an hour, which if that means I can't even sleep for 10 second intervals, seems significant!
Cripes! Is that why I can’t seem to wake up with energy??
I was worried about early dementia or getting some kind of chemical exposure at work or something. It's been getting bad. I've been falling asleep when I've been bored at work, getting way too close to it while driving to work, and I haven't been able to enjoy stuff I normally do. It's not the same dragging and depression I had before getting my depression treated, but similar in some ways, like all my interests I wanted to put time to, but I've just been so run down it felt like I didn't have it in me to keep doing all my owl research, study my music, take care of the house, etc. I'm hoping this will get me back in the game because it's made life really hard. Two or 3 nights this week I've come home from work and laid down just to rest my eyes and the next thing I know the alarm is going off to get up for work again.
I've still got a bunch of bloodwork to do, but my regular doc seemed to think strongly this was going to be what it was. I did a home sleep test that was really easy and affordable ($200). I just had to wear this watch with a finger clip and stick on chest sensor for a night and then upload it to an app and I got my results in 2 days. If you're wondering if you have sleep apnea, it's pretty simple and painless. If you want the site where I ordered mine I can tell you. The doctor gave me a pamphlet with a few companies, but I liked this one for its simple language, upfront pricing, and the guy who runs the place looks like a regular Joe with sleep apnea himself so he seemed legit. 😄
May have to check it out! I have trouble getting to sleep which is the ridiculous part of it. But still - after X hours shouldn't I feel, y'know, rested?
I will often mean to get to bed at a decent time, but then I just kinda sit there in a daze and the next thing I know it's midnight-ish. Time is just all wonky on me.
Funnily enough (though not exactly funny haha), that IS one of the possible symptoms of sleep apnea!
Lack of proper sleep fucks with the brain in many insidious ways and I definitely experienced that same thing when I had untreated sleep apnea and MUCH less now that I have my CPAP machine helping me get good sleep!
Now it's only my ADHD making me lose track of time 😄
Brains can be really stupid sometimes 😆
I look forward to getting this sorted out.
Oh! International Owl Center!
I was wondering what the Olympic Committee was doing at the vet 😄
The owls will be replacing competitors from the countries which can't seem to stop doping athletes.
I'd watch that...
The long jump takes forever, though. The luge is still awesome.
The long jump takes forever, though
They said I was a fool to invest the family fortune in producing and selling several miles long measuring tape, but now I'm laughing all the way to the bank!
Some people say they know they cant believe,
the owls, we have a bobsled team!
We have the one Pierce,
and the one Burrowing Bea,
Great Horned Iris,
and the big girl Alice!
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏