The pictures in this post are so beautiful! Be sure to check them all out. Good luck, Owlbert!

From Middle TN Raptor Center

Today is a day to celebrate. After two molts, one failed release, and nine months in rehabilitation, Owlbert the Great Horned Owl from Cannon County got his freedom day today. He came to us on April 24th, 2024 with a bad pellet wound in his wing. After removing all of the damaged feathers and waiting for them to grow back in (twice!), Owlbert flew free this morning.

The first time we tried to release him, his feathers just weren’t strong enough for sustained flight. He couldn’t get enough lift to get more than a few feet in short hops. After the second molt, his feather situation massively improved as you can see in the videos below of his strong take-off. He was very mean and hateful toward us the entire time, but that’s a good thing because we wanted him to stay wild and not imprint. That’s not easy to do after such an extended stay in rehab. Farewell, Owlbert!

  • fxomt
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    61 day ago

    Just saw the Saw Whet, so damn tiny and small! 😊

    • anon6789OP
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      91 day ago

      The time I saw a Saw Whet was at a rescue. I looked in the enclosure 3 times thinking they must have already released it before finally spotting it up at the roofline! All I could see was its tiny face. It looked much like this one that had room to flip over in a soup can!

      • fxomt
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        1 day ago

        Those eyes 🥺 He looks like a little kiwi! Bookmarked it, haha

        God i love owls, they can either be as cute as the GHO and saw whet, and as terrifying as those creatures in the outer wilds DLC 😂

        • anon6789OP
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          71 day ago

          Your picture shows up on my app, but not when I’m on the standard webpage. Werid.

          That Oriental Bay and Lesser Sooty are the craziest!

    • Optional
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      61 day ago

      Hey hey, show a little respect please - that’s our Owl of the Year you’re talking about! ;)