“Mama Bird.” Photograph by Dudley Warner.

Owl Moon is in the news again!

On Monday, we rescued this gorgeous, massive female Great Horned Owl from entanglement in poultry netting at a small farm in Potomac. She was exhausted and dehydrated, but fortunately, her injuries: abrasions on her left foot and muscle strain from struggling to free herself, were relatively minor, and she only required 5 days to recover. She was released back in the neighborhood last night (after the farm owners modified the netting to make it taut and secure, safe for tempted raptors).

Netting of all kinds (poultry, deer, landscape, soccer, etc.) are a hazard to birds. Raptors, who cannot see it, will fly into it chasing prey, which may be songbirds trapped under it!

Here is a link to the rescue story, recently published in the Potomac Almanac. There will be a follow-up story of the release coming out soon!

http://connection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/2014/01/14/Potomac.pdf