Barbed Wire Barn Owl Released Back Into The Wild (with photos)

Yesterday was the long-awaited day.

But first a little background. I hope regular readers will forgive seeing the following image again but I think it’s essential to the story for those who haven’t seen my previous posts on this bird.

 

barn owl 8407d ron dudley

Mia and I found this Barn Owl hanging from barbed wire on 9/9/15 in Montana’s Centennial Valley. The bird was so entangled in the barbs of the wire that I had to cut a piece of the wire out and remove the bird with that wire piece still attached. As the owl was laying on my pickup tailgate (partially wrapped in a towel) and we were trying to gently extract it from the wire segment, Bill West, manager of Red Rock Lakes NWR, drove up behind me and largely due to his efforts we were able to remove the wire. Then Bill, who was on his way to a meeting in Dillon, delivered the owl to the Humane Society in Dillon where arrangements were made to have the bird taken to the Montana Raptor Conservation Center (MRCC) in Bozeman, a distance of approximately 190 road miles from where we found it in the fence.

The owl was in pretty rough shape when it was delivered to MRCC. It had soft tissue damage to its wings from struggling to free itself from the wire and it wouldn’t eat on its own for some time so its prognosis was guarded. The good news was that there were no broken bones and eventually it began to eat and heal up. Two days ago MRCC informed me that they would release the bird back into the Centennial Valley and yesterday they did just that. They generously provided me several images of the release to use on my blog.

 

 

barn owl release 1b MRCC

Copyright MRCC, Image used by permission

Here the owl flies free once again after 21 days of stressful captivity. I thought it appropriate that Bill’s wife, Karen, is releasing the owl so others could take photos. The spot where it was released looks to be on the western edge of Red Rock Lakes NWR as I can see part of Lower Red Rock Lake in front of the pickup. This part of the refuge is our second home when we’re in the valley because it’s very close to where we always camp. I usually associate that area with Short-eared Owls because it’s where I’ve always photographed them in previous years so the thought of a Barn Owl in the area makes me smile…

 

 

barn owl release 2b MRCC

Copyright MRCC, Image used by permission

I can only imagine what was going through the owls mind as it tasted freedom for the first time in 21 days and headed in the direction of the Gravelly and Madison mountain ranges to the north. When I saw the condition of its left wing on the morning we found it I thought it likely that the owl would never fly again so this image actually gives me goose bumps. And none of it would be possible without the efforts of Bill West and the MRCC. Thank you all!

Barn Owls are almost unheard of in Montana and I find no record of them in Red Rock Lakes NWR or the Centennial Valley so this one was an unusual find. I hope the presence of this bird indicates that there are at least a few other Barn Owls in the area and if so that this one is able to find more of its own kind.

It would be awesome (a word I almost never use) if I were able to see Barn Owls on a future trip to the valley but next time I’d much prefer the bird to be flying free.

Ron

 

 

44 Comments

  1. Humming bird lover

    Hi!
    I am so proud of you and Mia saving that beautiful Owl! Great to see it release to the wild again!

  2. What an incredible good ending to an otherwise sad story.I love it when things come together.I hope the owl has a long and happy life in front of it.

  3. Both of the release photos gave me goose bumps. It is truly awesome to see that bird flying free, and I hope that you do start seeing healthy, free-flying Barn Owls in that area.

  4. Ron these are the best photos I have seen all day. It is so wonderful to see that beautiful owl fly free again? Much thanks to you for stopping to rescue this owl and thank to MRCC for patching him up.

  5. Charlotte Norton

    It brings tears to my eyes to think of all the good work that both you and the rehabbers did to save this beautiful owl! We are certainly blessed to have people like you in our world!

    Charlotte

    • Tziporah Waternov

      Ditto Thank G-d for the inner promptings that led Ron and Bill and others to take care of our fellow creature. Hope this barn owl can adapt to the ecosystem where it is now.

  6. Colour me happy. Very, very happy.
    I doubted it would happen and am so very glad to be wrong.

  7. Jorge H. Oliveira

    I am moved. My heart is singing.
    I wish that someday you’ll be able to find it again and take some photos.That would be great.
    Thank you for brighten my day.

  8. Victoria Ridenour

    Thank you for sharing the story from beginning to end. Thanks to all of you who participated in healing this precious bird. And thank you again Ron, for giving so many of us a reason to walk on air this morning. My heart is full.

  9. Walk tall and proud, Ron.
    Good deeds don’t always have such positive results and hopefully your action will have repercussions on the burgeoning Barn Owl population in the area for a long time.
    Ahhhhh!!!!!! Desert for breakfast.

  10. I can’t even imagine a “heavenly reward” in an afterlife could hold a candle to the reward that all of you involved in this ( and many other ) rescue and rehab efforts feel when you see a payoff like this
    occur –blessings on you all—–here on earth……..

  11. Congrats to all involved. So great to see that owl healthy and soaring again. I love happy endings.

  12. Thank you Mia, Ron, Bill and Karen West, all the rehabbers and volunteers at MRCC, Marilyn Kircus, any and all who helped that beautiful, stardust sprinkled bird survive….Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

  13. What a privilege to be able to see this remarkable progression! I’m grateful to you all, and so glad the barn owl decided to eat again.

  14. I volunteered at a wildlife hospital for three wonderful years. Animals would arrive in horrible shape, and yet, given half a chance, most managed to live. At least the spring and summer patients did. I rarely got to participate in releases due to my job’s hours, but I did get to set a Canada Goose and a trio of raccoon kits free. (And boy did my car smell weird after the goose, since the dog crate it had been in had to sit in my locked-up car during the work day.)

    Thanks for the morning smile!

  15. My heart flies with that bird….

  16. Utterly SPLENDID ending to the story! YES! Fly well little Barnie and stay away from that devil wire! Ron and Mia, THANK YOU! THANKS also to Montana Raptor Conservation Center!! My heart sings!

  17. So glad you and Mia were there to rescue and MRCC are around to to heal and release all raptors.Well Done !

  18. That is fantastic news and pics, wonderful happy new beginning for this owl!!
    Thank you Ron, for staying on top of this and keeping us informed.

  19. I saw your post right after you found the owl, and was looking forward to hearing if it would survive its injuries and be released into the wild again. If you had not been out taking photos, if you had not noticed the owl, if you and Mia and others hadn’t taken the time or made the effort to help it, there would not have been such a great ending to the story. You and everyone involved obviously feel great about this! Also, those of us who got to see your first photo, read your account, and then see the release photos feel great as well!

    • You’re right, Pamela – it’s a very good feeling (for all of us involved, I’m sure) to have had a hand in this. This was one lucky owl – most such encounters of wildlife with barbed wire have a very different outcome.

  20. This has me smiling ear to ear! 🙂 If not for you and Mia and many other hands/fortuitous meetings it wouldn’t have happened.

  21. Christine Bogdanowicz

    How wonderful, wonderful Ron–BRAVO! You and Mia and to the folks at the MRCC are heroes! I’ve been following along (but, sorry not commenting much); my day has been made with this happy story…

  22. Good story…Great Ending…Thanks to all involved

  23. Best Day Ever!

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