Injured owl flying high again
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BOWDEN – A barred owl with substantial injuries received a new lease on life thanks to an observant motorist who noticed the injured bird alongside the roadway.
Earlier this spring, Elkins resident Russell Corley was driving to Elkins from Bowden on Route 33 when he saw a large bird on the side of the road.
Corley was alerted that something was wrong with the bird because when he passed by, it did not move. Corely pulled his vehicle over and carefully approached the owl, which still refused to move despite a human’s being nearby. Corely gently picked the owl up using his jacket, and contacted his friend Caitlyn Rennix, who is an intern with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Conservation Police.
Corley and Rennix proceeded to transport the owl to raptor specialist Jo Santiago, who is also a first responder for birds of prey. Corley mentioned to Santiago that the owl had remained calm during his entire interaction with it. Santiago told Corley that the owl’s calmness was likely due to head trauma from a collision with a vehicle.
“Oftentimes when a person comes across a raptor that allows them to approach it, they get the idea that the bird is tame and they will pet the bird,” Santiago said. “But the bird is hurt, not tame, and unable to respond normally. Petting or unnecessarily handling an injured bird actually causes significant stress and further compromises its chances of recovery.”
The adult male owl was transported to avian specialist Dr. Jesse Fallon at the Cheat Lake Animal Hospital in Morgantown, where it was determined that it had suffered severe head trauma and a fractured ulna. After surgery, the owl spent seven weeks of recovery and rehabilitation at the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia.
The owl was transported to his home territory and was set free at the Bowden Fish Hatchery. Corely and Rennix reunited with the owl when it was released by Santiago, who said the bird did something she had never seen when it was let go.
“When rehabilitated birds are released, they usually fly directly to nearby trees for safety,” Santiago said. “But not this bird, he took his time and flew directly to Corey’s truck and landed on the side-view mirror where he stayed quite a while before moving to the roof of the truck. He then flew onto the roof of a nearby storage building before flying to some tall Norway Spruce trees. In my 36 years of rescuing and releasing birds, I’ve never seen anything like that.”
If anyone comes across an injured raptor, they are asked to call the Avian Conservation Center’s hotline at 304-906-5428 or the WVDNR Conservation Police. Birds of prey are protected by federal and state laws.
Photo courtesy of Keri Lewis
From left are raptor specialist Jo Santiago, Caitlyn Rennix, Aidan Snodgrass, Russell Corley and Abby McDonald.