A couple of weeks ago when the phone rang in the Acton Conservation Office at Town Hall where I work, I was very happy I was there to answer it. A lady said that she was parked on the side of Pope Road next to a baby owl– who had been standing in the middle of the road until she got there. She reported that the owl did not appear injured.
I asked her if she could safely stay for five more minutes, and she said yes. I had thick leather gloves in my car already, AND a cardboard box. The last time some neighbors called me to “rescue” an owl from their driveway (about 10 years ago), it was on a freezing winter day and that Eastern Screech Owl had been hit by a car. That time I had placed the almost frozen, wounded screech owl into a towel lined box and drove it to Tufts Wildlife Animal Hospital in North Grafton. It didn’t move the whole way, and just stared at me with big eyes. Tufts did what they could, but the screech owl did not make it.
This time I arrived at Pope Road and immediately called my former boss, Tom Tidman, who was Acton’s Natural Resources Director for 35 years. I had seen Tom rescue raptors before. The first thing Tom said was, “Be sure you have a hat on, and have someone keep lookout. If the parent owl sees you touch its baby, it may swoop down and hurt you.” No parents were seen lurking anywhere, and this baby wasn’t making a sound. Check. “Always use leather gloves or the talons will pierce your hand.” It was a young barred owl who had probably fallen out of the nest, then hopped the wrong way until it ended up in the middle of the road. Bird parents commonly feed fledglings on the ground until they learn to fly. It’s a vulnerable state for them to be in. But kids are incredibly resilient.
The owl did not look injured. It kept staring at the lady who had called me, and clicking its beak. They will bite, and that beak looked sharp. Just go for it. I circled around behind the little guy/gal, and gently pressed the wings to its body so it would not flap and hurt itself. It weighed as much as a pencil though it was eight inches tall, and was really fluffy. Still, no parent dive bombing me. “Put the owl on a branch about 5 feet off the ground, and be sure the talons grab onto the branch,” Tom instructed. Right. This owl locked eyes with me. I started backing away. The other folks jumped in their car and drove off, mission accomplished.
A few minutes later, I backed up another six feet. In the distance I saw something with a large wingspan swoop in the trees. I hoped and prayed it was the mom or dad. I backed up another ten feet. The baby hopped and flapped and climbed to some higher branches. A very good sign. I crossed Proctor Street and just hung out, leaning against my car. It was really hard to leave. I sure wish I’d had a frog, mouse, or dog treat in my pocket to give that hungry baby. Finally, I left the owlet on its own, hoping the story would have a happy ending.
If you find wounded wildlife in Acton, call Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford 978-413-4085 https://newhousewildliferescue.org/ . They accept donations. According to MassWildlife, in most cases, it’s best to leave wildlife alone. Use the resources on this page to learn more: https://www.mass.gov/wildlife-rehabilitation
