From Cape Wildlife Center

“What, were you raised in a barn?!”

“Yes” barn owls probably.

Pardon the pun, but we are in shock over here. This is the second nest of baby barn owls we have found in the last several weeks! This species is rarely seen in Massachusetts and has not been documented nesting in our area for several decades, yet we have rescued injured chicks from two separate nests just a few miles apart.

Yesterday we were called out to a local buisness in Falmouth after a chick was spotted on the ground in a busy work area. The chick had fallen 30ish feet and landed on cement and broke one of his legs quite badly in the fall. We rushed him back to our hospital for medical treatment, and he is currently recuperating in our care.

Today, we received a call that a second chick was spotted on the ground at the same location. We arrived on scene and were greeted by some pretty awesome employees who were helping to keep the owl safe until help arrived. We gave him a field-exam and determined that this chick had miraculously survived the fall without injury. He also was quite chubby, which indicated that mom and dad must still be in the picture and actively feeding him. We decided that getting him back up to the nest and setting a camera up to make sure the parents returned was the best option.

The problem was we didn’t have a ladder tall enough. Well, the employees came through again, and rigged up a custom owl elevator. With their help we reached the nest and were about to deposit the owlet back in his house when we noticed two more apple-shaped faces staring back at us. And screaming. A lot. We returned the fallen owlet to his siblings and after a quick screaming match all was forgiven. The three huddled together and receded back into the eves to safety.

Next, we had to rig up something to keep the trio safe the event any of them decided to jump-ship again. The crew there had just the thing! They returned with a gia pile of wood shavings and spread it beneath the nest creating a soft landing pad for any would-be daredevils.

Last thing on the list was to set up a camera to ensure mom or dad returned tO care for them. After some technical difficulties and a quick trip to Walmart to purchase a working trail cam we returned to finish the job. We handed the camera over to one of the employees to mount on a nearby beam to get a good angle when He was almost struck in the head by one of the parents! They had returned while we stepped out and did not take kindly to the intrusion. Seeing that they were In good hands, we backed-off and headed home. The employees will keep an eye on the nest while mom and dad finish raising them. In the meantime we will do our best to get the fourth sibling healthy and return him to his family.

Seeing that they were In good hands, we backed-off and headed home. The employees will keep an eye on the nest while mom and dad finish raising them. In the meantime we will do our best to get the fourth sibling healthy and return him to his family.

A huge thank you to the employees and owners of the business for looking out for these owls! (We are not naming them publicly to protect the birds)