From Audubon Center for Birds of Prey
Decorating our homes for Halloween is a fun tradition, but here’s an important reminder to keep our decor bird- d wildlife-friendly. Last week, this Barred Owl found itself stuck in a plastic bat skeleton hung in a tree. Thankfully, the homeowner noticed and contacted animal control to help before it was too late. Our Raptor injury to the neck, and quickly began treatment to stabilize this owl and get it released back to the wild.
There are many kinds of decorations that we know to be harmful: artificial spider webs, for example, can ensnare birds. But this bat skeleton may not be such an obvious danger. If you do choose to hang holiday decorations, consider placement away from areas that birds frequent, and make a point to check your decor daily for any trapped animals.
I saw a number of pics this year of various animals stuck in the fake spider webs, most didn’t make it before they were discovered. That stuff should probably not be a thing.
This one I decided to share just from how weird it is. The photo below is more bizarre than I had pictured while reading the story. I’m glad nothing to serious happened to this owl, as the photo looks really bad, hence the spoiler tag. I would be so upset if I saw this as I was leaving for work in the morning. I’m glad the people noticed and got it help!
Owl caught in the skeleton
Oh, that poor baby! At least this one has a happy end and serves as a reminder to regularly check what we dumb humans can cause out of ignorance.
Yup, I don’t really share am much where the outcome isn’t pretty likely to be successful, but it’s important to let people know if they’re unwittingly causing a hazard for the animals they like.
We all learn something for the first time from somewhere. If seeing a close call can make it make sense to someone, I think that’s a positive result.