Regular readers will remember my post of two weeks ago where I documented the heartbreaking story of this Barn Owl entangled in barbed wire in the Centennial Valley of Montana.
- Rather than repeat the details here of how we found this bird and the immediate aftermath I’ll simply refer those who didn’t see the original post to this link.
1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 271 mm
This is the owl as we found it on September 9th. In the ensuing two weeks this image has continued to play out in my mind, along with other even more traumatic visual memories of when we were cutting the owl out of the wire. And I kept thinking about the efforts the Montana Raptor Conservation Center (a raptor rehab organization in Bozeman, Montana) must be making to save the bird. So two days ago I made a financial donation to the MRCC and told them that many of my readers are as concerned about the owl as I am so I requested that they send me an update on its condition and a photo of the bird in their rehab facility that I could share on my blog.
They graciously complied.
Copyright Montana Raptor Conservation Center. Image used by permission.
This photo, taken yesterday, was one of two they sent me along with the following update on the situation of the bird.
- “Hey Ron, thank you so much for the donation!! We moved him into a larger cage today and he is flying very well. We are thinking of bringing him back to Red Rock NWR sometime next week or the week after, weather permitting. He is pretty hard to get a photo of since the lighting is not good and he is really scared/flighty. I did the best I could without stressing him out too much. He is flying great and finally eating well on his own. Thank you for all your help, we will keep you posted.”
Mia and I couldn’t be happier about the prospects for this owl. Not many birds (or other wildlife for that matter) survive an encounter like this with the “devil wire” and it looks like this bird will not only survive but will be returned to the wild. An added bonus is that the MRCC hopes to release it in the Centennial Valley where it was found (Barn Owls are almost unheard of in Montana).
Thank you, MRCC!
Ron
Thank you to those who gave their all and care to this wonderful bird. Bless you! I love happy endings.
Terrific! Thank you for the update. He is beautiful. It’s awesome that he will soon fly free!!! Your caring efforts gave him a future! Thanks RON, and cudos to the Angel rehabers!!!
Seeing the photo of this now-healthy bird gave me goose bumps. I am so glad it is doing well. It is incredibly beautiful, and it is helping me to get more interested in Owls, a bird I’ve never been able to see in the wild, of any species.
Thank you so much for keeping us updated Ron. I could not get this owl out of my mind. It is really great to hear that he is doing so well, thanks to you. Thank you Ron for taking the time to help this beautiful ow.
YEA! Good work Ron!
Charlotte
GREAT news, Ron!! Your fast action and knowledge paid off. Many thanks for the update!
Thank you MRCC. Thank you Ron. Thank you Mia.
My eyes are leaking a bit.
Oh, lovely. A happy ending like this makes my day, as well! I’ve been following your blog for a while now, and so appreciate your stunning photographs and the information you share: thank you.
Good things happen when good people get involved.
Kudos.
Great news, Ron – thanks for checking and sharing. (And, on behalf of wildlife rehabilitators everywhere, thanks for both the original rescue and the donation!)
Thank you for all the kind comments so far everyone. But let it be known that I’m sure that each and every one of my readers would have done what we did for this owl given the opportunity. We just happened to be there…
Great News!
Many thanks for all that you did and do and thank you for keeping us updated, much appreciated.
WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,,!
Thank you so much for sharing the good news…and thank you and Mia for your part in saving this magnificent creature.
Well done, and thank you, Ron. Rehab centers do great work and probably don’t receive the thanks they deserve. Unsung heros, IMHO. I support two, including one in your state. Your article reminds me to keep on giving. Thanks for keeping us aware of these good folks.
Cheers,
Dick
YES! 🙂 I’m so happy the owl is doing well – thx for the update.
I’m so glad that you posted this update, and that it was such an encouraging one. The reminders of the work of this organization and caring people like you and Mia keep me going through times
when I think that there’s not much hope for our lovely planet. Thanks so much.
Good news. I hope the next steps towards freedom will be equally good.
You, Mia and the MRCC personnel certainly did a wonderful job.
Thanks for sharing it.
I am with Neil Rossmiller. What do you think about it? It would be great.
Great news Ron. Hopefully soon he/she will be hunting voles back in Montana.
Very good news, Ron.
Any thoughts of driving up and taking part of the release? Would love to see those photos.
“Any thoughts of driving up and taking part of the release?”
I’ve had many such thoughts, Neil. It’s a 350 mile drive for me and a lot of things would have to come together for it to happen but who knows…?
I had the same thought that Neil had, Ron!! However, I didn’t know how far it would be & that is a lot of miles to drive for a short period of time, no matter how great the thrill would be. You are out in Nature all the time photographing wildlife every day so it wouldn’t be like me, who has never seen this owl except in photos. However, I do think that every time you see one of these majestic owls you’ll be wondering – is it “your” rescued owl??!!
What a great ending! so glad he will fly in his own territory again.
Good news. Thank you for the update. This really brightens my day. I hope you are feeling happy and fulfilled today.
Oh Happy Day!!!!! This is Awesome news, Ron!! You & Mia must have been thrilled to see him in a much better state than how you first saw him!! I thank you again for what you two did for this gorgeous raptor. The MRCC and all the wildlife refuge centers do such wonderful work to heal & hopefully release our injured wildlife.I am just SO happy for this owl.
YAY!! YIPPETY DO DAH!! YEE HAW!! And thank you! Doing the Snoopy Dog Dance, complete with ear twirlies! THANK YOU!
Fantastic news. Thanks Ron. Hopefully you can photograph him someday!Bless the MRCC, and other organizations like them.
What great news Ron! Cheers to your Barn Owl and cheers to you and Mia! Great work!
Oh, this makes me so happy! Thank you for the update on this beautiful owl. Thanks to you and Mia and the MRCC, it sounds like it will soon be flying wild and free again.