Barred Owl Intake/Release: Tricks of the Trade

By Amy Titcomb

Every spring, the Center for Wildlife admits several baby raptors who have fallen from nests, probably when left unattended after the death a parent. This year, we received a barred owlet who won the hearts of staff and volunteers immediately. However, raptor babies are some of our most challenging orphans. While taking food from the parent’s beak, a baby “imprints” on the parent’s face, and this is how they learn to self-identify: they memorize the face of their species and thus later know what to look for in a mate. When hand-feeding owlets and hawk chicks, CFW staff avoid eye contact with the birds and refrain from speaking: young raptors can otherwise imprint on humans, and become non-releasable.

Hiding our faces avoids this problem, but still leaves the challenge of finding a face on which they can imprint... and this is where our fabulous foster parents come in.

CFW houses several permanent raptors who have been hit by cars and left with injuries that make them non-releasable. This spring, our two permanent barred owls got a chance at foster parenting. Their specially-designed outdoor enclosure includes a box with wire sides, where a tiny owlet - though separated from the adults - can watch and listen to them. In the box, we created a nest of towels, with a heating pad for warmth. Through the box’s back door, staff could pass in food; through the wire front, the owlet was treated to around-the-clock displays of adult owls. Once she was big enough to no longer need a heating pad, and able to eat on her own, we let her into the cage with the adults. She hopped up ladders to perch beside her foster parents, and quickly figured out how to fly.

We were thrilled when the owlet greeted us with aggressive beak clacking, just as an owl should respond to strangers! When the owlet started hogging all the food from the adults, we knew she was ready to go. We put her in her own flight cage to test her skills at catching live prey, and thanks to her strong raptor instincts, she mastered hunting almost immediately.

On a beautiful August evening, just as darkness set in, a small group of staff and volunteers gathered to see her off... she flew up to a tree and watched us for a few minutes, before flying off to begin her life in the wild.

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The Center tries to give much needed care but still allow the animals to be wild, with the intention of letting them go when they are ready to care for themselves. Too much "love" can result in a baby animal imprinting on the humans caring for it and that makes it difficult to release. If you find an animal that seems to be in need, keep an eye on it for while before you decide to take it in. Sometimes, Mom is right around the corner and will retrieve a baby in a short while. If you do decide to intervene, call the Center and get instructions on how to properly handle the animal or call the Animal Control officer in your town.