The pictures in this post are so beautiful! Be sure to check them all out. Good luck, Owlbert!
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!
Owlbert! I love it!
I love it when they give them names. So much more fun and personal than calling it 24-178 or whatever it would be.