# Meet Hootie the great horned owl.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Our drive way is 400 + feet long. It runs along a old stand pine plantaion and a creek. There is high line (electric power) that runs along the edge of the trees. Yesterday we were going to go shop some and when we got near the end of the drive where it turns away from the trees there sat an owl on a hunk of log. I drove by it and Kare said where is the camera when you want it. I said I would drive back and she could get it. The whole time the owl sat there, posed for some pictures even. Then it decided things were just not to her likeing so tried to fly. She couldn't fly. As you will see her left wing is injured possiable from hitting the power line. Now I must say why I say she. There is no doubt she is a great horned owl but on the small side for an adult, females are smaller there fore a she, Of course I'll know for sure tomorrow.
We called the sister in law a member of the local Audubon group to see if she knew of some one who would rehab the owl. After half the day we found these people http://www.wildliferecovery.org/
who said they would take her if we could deliver her to a vet in Midland Michigan. I delivered her early this morning. Barb told us on the phone last night, we can call to get updates on her health and recovery, PLUS they will make every effort to release her back in our area since she must have a mate here.





































I had put a dish of water in the cage with her right after I caught her, then a mouse I had caught about 10:30PM. This morning the mouse was gone and over half the water.
Got up early this morning and delivered Hootie to the Vet in Midland. Very nice people they seemed. Even though I didn't get to know Hootie that well it brought a tear to my eye to say good bye. 

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Remember you must have a permit in Michigan to keep a raptor. You can help a hurt one as we did by calling a recovery group and being placed on their call in list and deliver the raptor to them.

 Al


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## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

alleyyooper said:


> Our drive way is 400 + feet long. It runs along a old stand pine plantaion and a creek. There is high line (electric power) that runs along the edge of the trees. Yesterday we were going to go shop some and when we got near the end of the drive where it turns away from the trees there sat an owl on a hunk of log. I drove by it and Kare said where is the camera when you want it. I said I would drive back and she could get it. The whole time the owl sat there, posed for some pictures even. Then it decided things were just not to her likeing so tried to fly. She couldn't fly. As you will see her left wing is injured possiable from hitting the power line. Now I must say why I say she. There is no doubt she is a great horned owl but on the small side for an adult, females are smaller there fore a she, Of course I'll know for sure tomorrow.
> We called the sister in law a member of the local Audubon group to see if she knew of some one who would rehab the owl. After half the day we found these people http://www.wildliferecovery.org/
> who said they would take her if we could deliver her to a vet in Midland Michigan. I delivered her early this morning. Barb told us on the phone last night, we can call to get updates on her health and recovery, PLUS they will make every effort to release her back in our area since she must have a mate here.
> 
> ...



I relish those chills up the spine when the GH and the barred owls start hooting deep in the swamp. I always wondered why they never hooted close to my treestands.


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

We have White Pines Wildlife Rehab Center near us.
They are another great group of dedicated people.

Its pretty amazing to hear the things they must do to get an animal healthy and then re-introduce them back into the wild.

Thanks for sharing your photos.


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## momlaffsalot (Sep 9, 2004)

Oh what a beautiful creature! You're lucky to have had the opportunity to 'meet' her!


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Can I ask just how you managed to capture and contain that beastie whilst keeping your skin?!
Great horned owls can really do some damage, I am quite impressed you didn't lose fingers. :hobbyhors


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I thought if I had Kare stand near by it would watch her as I worked around to her back. Didn't work like that at all as she kept watching me walking rather than kare just standing there. 
One thing I have learned in life is, females will put up with a whole lot if you keep telling them enough they are beautiful. So I kept talking to her and telling her she was beautiful and I wasn't going to hurt her. She let me get close enough I could cover her with an old blanket which I wrapped around her feet once I got her picked up.
Also show no fear!



















 Al


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## momlaffsalot (Sep 9, 2004)

She must have been in shock to let you pick her up like that. Either that or they just know when you are trying to help them. I picked a heron up off the highway once with just a towel and the rehab people were astonished it let me.


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Wow - that is really something! I bet she appreciated the meal you gave her! She's beautiful and I really hope she'll mend and they can release her. 

Really great you caught her and turned her over to people that can care for her. I have a friend that volunteers to rehab animals - she fixed her basement up with huge cages of all sorts and always has racoons, squirrels, oposums, turtles, etc. that she's working to get back to health. The organization she works for helps pay for a lot of it, but she puts a lot of money into it out of her pocket.

The orgs are really great. Let us know how the little lady does!

Penny


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

thanks for takeing the time to help the owl out.i have a falconer just a few miles away....i love to go see his birds.they are great to see.i got a couple of books back in spring so as to learn a bit about falconry....good job


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Wow. 
Glad she's somewhere safe, too. Lucky girl!


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Thank you every one for the nice comments and well wishes for Hootie the owl.

:Bawling:Got bad news yesterday about Hootie. Her wing was broken in a couple places but the worst was the infection. Said it was really bad so they decided to put her down as it was doubtful if she would ever recover. 
She now will once again soar during the night in the land of the great spirit.

 Al


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Ah, well, at least you got her somewhere safe so she didn't just linger on the ground, vulnerable and in pain.


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## Morning Owl (Oct 13, 2005)

Thank you for trying to save her Al. May the Great Spirt bless you for your act of compassion.

MorningOwl


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## AllWolf (Dec 27, 2005)

What a beautiful owl. That sure is one of God beautiful creatures he has made. I enjoyed your story but hated the very ending of it but at least you saved her from other animals. You tried you best to save her. I sure hated to hear of the bad news you got. I was hopeing she would be able to recover and go back to the wild where she belongs but sometimes god has other plans. I loved the beautiful photos of her.

God Bless You and Merry Christmas.


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## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

Wellmeaning as it is, saving a wounded animal from other creatures defies the natural order of predation where the weak are taken first. To deny other creatures their rightful nutrition because of an emotional reason is somehow interfering with the natural orders of things in the wild, something we humans have a penchant for. I should talk though, because our feeding wild birds concentrates targets, making raptors and those damned feral cats happy.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The wild critters here have enough to eat with out killing a crippled owl.
People drive so fast down our dirt country road there is alway road kill in the ditches and fields for them. Being farm country which is well over the normal rain fall from Sept to Mid Dec the corn is still standing in flooded fields for the deer and other animals that feast on that.

I'll miss Hootie because she helped keep the mice population down. Now we can expect an increase till another pair move in to the area.

The natural order of things was out the door once the white man steped ashore on the east coast and started plowing fields.

 Al


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## WanderingOak (Jul 12, 2004)

alleyyooper said:


> The natural order of things was out the door once the white man steped ashore on the east coast and started plowing fields.
> Al


I beg to differ. America was far from wild before the arival of the Europeans. This book is very helpful in understanding pre-Columbian America.


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