Too Cool for School
Too Cool for School
Last week, we had our first fledgling, or in owl terms, a "brancher", get himself into a little predicament at Hellgate Elementary School in Missoula.
We first got a call from Missoula 911 reporting an owl stuck in the school courtyard with no way out. A Missoula Police Department officer was able to safely collect the young owl and place him in a nearby tree. The next morning, however, the owl was found huddled along the side of the building, exposed and vulnerable during the busy school day. Rob Domenech with Raptor View Research Institute responded, rescuing the owl and later returning for a little "recon mission" to find the family and a safer release spot.
Sure enough, Rob found a stand of trees with fresh owl pellets underneath, a good sign. As he placed the young owl back into the tree, an adult owl began alarm calling overhead. After reviewing photos, Jesse spotted a fuzzy sibling peeking out from the nearby branches! Getting these little ones back with their families takes a lot of time and effort, but that's precisely where they belong, and we do everything we can to make it happen.