This past week the WR&E Wildlife Center received three more Great Horned Owlets who will stay at the Center until they are ready for a pre-release cage.  One owlet arrived early in the morning from a couple who were driving through the Houston area and had heard about the Wildlife Center.  Another owlet was brought to the Wildlife Center by a Texas Parks & Wildlife game warden.  The owlet had a leg and wing injury.  Dr. Antinoff from Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists quickly came to the Wildlife Center to exam and x-ray the baby.  We are waiting for the surgeon to determine what the course of treatment will be for this little one.   The third owlet is a larger baby who will be joining the first two in the pre-release cage as soon as it gains weight.

Great Horned Owls don’t build nests from scratch; instead they often improve upon abandoned crow or squirrel nests. Rescuers found one owlet on the ground. The other owlet was still in a partially destroyed nest. The parents of our newest patient either didn’t select a stable base or didn’t perform sufficient renovations. The remaining owlet is in danger of falling also.

The owlet at the center has been checked out and there are no broken bones, he just needs a little weight on him.  The damage to the nest means that the owlet at the Wildlife Center cannot be returned. It also means that the remaining owlet is in danger. Plans are currently being evaluated that would provide a new nesting platform in the same tree so that the parents can safely raise both of their babies.

Last year, WR&E successfully renested a baby Great Horned Owl. The parents had made their nest in the pine needles that had collected in the valley of a steep roof. Thanks again to CenterPoint Energy for the lift! To read about it go to the “Topics of Interest” drop down list on the right side of any website page and click on “Great Horned Owl”.

Birds in general and raptors in particular show a preference for their home territory and often will return to the same tree or nesting box. The homeowner has called to say that the Great Horned Owls are nesting on her roof again this year. We are keeping our fingers crossed that heavy rain doesn’t sweep another owlet from the roof.

On November 21, 2009 the first call came in about a Great Horned Owl who had been found on the road.  A man and his two children brought the badly hypothermic owl to the WR&E Wildlife Center for care.  The magnificent Great Horned Owl was cold, wet and scared. WR&E staff gavage fed warm fluids and pain medication. Intubation continued on an hourly basis. The Great Horned Owl began to stabilize. 

Several hours later a call came from a gentleman who had found a hawk on the road.  With guidance from the Wildlife Center he took a towel and scooped the hawk up and gently laid him in the back of his car and drove it to the Wildlife Center.  The hawk turned out to be a gorgeous adult Red Tailed Hawk. It was also badly hypothermic, so WR&E staff administered warm fluids and pain medication. A heat lamp was placed over the bird to speed the warming process. Intubation continued on an hourly basis.

Not more than thirty minutes later the third cold wet patient was driven to the Wildlife Center.  An adult female Virginia opossum was found injured.  An exam revealed deep gashes in her neck. She was also hypothermic and in shock.  This animal was warmed and stabilized. Then her wounds were treated. 

By the end of the day all three animals were dry, warm and taking food.  Should they survive, they will still have several weeks of rehabilitation before they are released back into the wild.

These injured patients would never have had this extra chance at life if not for the kind humans that thought about the importance of saving these creatures.  Our hats are off to the citizens that took the time to bring these animals to the Wildlife Center for care, to the volunteers that provided expert care on an hourly basis and the donors who provide the funds for the facility and supplies! You are wildlife heroes, one and all.

Cyndi Bohannon

The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is arguably one of the most majestic of all raptors. Solitary in nature, a group would be called a Parliament. Of the order Strigifermes and family Strigidae, the Great Horned owl is considered a “true owl”. The other owl family, Tytonidae include barn owls. Eight sub-species have been recognized. The territories of sub-species rarely overlap.

The largest owl in the United States, it can stand 18 to 27 inches and have a wingspan of 48 to 60 inches! The Great Horned owl is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas, inhabiting all ecosystems except deep desert and Arctic tundra. The overall coloration ranges from near white in the far northern portion of their range to dark chocolate brown in the southern regions.

Size and weight varies geographically with the larger, heavier individuals living in colder climates. The females are larger than the males and weight ranges between two and a half and four pounds. All sub-species share the overall markings: prominent ear-tufts or “horns”, white patch at the throat, narrow bars on the front and a random mottled back.

The Great Horned Owl primarily hunts at night, but sightings at dawn and dusk are not unusual. Perched high above an open area, it silently swoops down upon almost anything that moves. Its diet is extremely diverse, but small to medium mammals, birds and waterfowl are favorites. It is the only known predator of the skunk.

Unlike many raptors, the Great Horned Owl will walk on the ground to gather crawfish, amphibians, reptiles or large insects. It have been known to walk into henhouses and wade into shallow water for a meal. Owls swallow small prey whole or take larger prey to a safe perch.

It is estimated that the Great Horned Owl can lift prey up to twice its weight. Non-digestible portions of dinner such as feathers, hair and bone are compacted by the stomach into a tight pellet which is regurgitated. These pellets yield a fascinating glimpse into the diet of the Great Horned Owl.

The most dramatic feature of the Great Horned Owl’s feet are the talons; needle sharp points pierce prey easily. But several adaptations allow for more efficient hunting. The underside of the owl’s foot is rough and knobby which provides superior grasping. The bones of the foot are much stronger than other birds to survive the impact with prey. Without conscious thought, the talons continue to ratchet closed until the owl decides to open them. Massive thigh muscles give the talons their strength.

Like other birds, the “relaxed” position of the feet is closed. This helps keep the owl on its perch even when it is asleep. Two of the four toes always face forward and one of the four toes always face backward. The fourth toe is uniquely flexible and faces forward during flight and backward when perching. During a strike, the toes fan into an oval shape.

Adaptations in eyesight and hearing make the Great Horned Owl a formidable predator. At a glance, the bright golden yellow eyes mesmerize the observer. Contrary to popular lore, the nocturnal Great Horned Owl has equally excellent vision during the day and the dead of night. The eyes are not spherical like mammals, but instead are oblong and fixed in bony orbs. To compensate, the neck has fourteen neck vertebrae allowing for 270 degrees of rotation.

  Great  Horned Owls have three eyelids. The top eyelid “blinks”, owls frequently blink eyes independently of each other, appearing to wink at the observer. The lower eyelid raises to meet the closed upper lid for sleeping. A third eyelid, a translucent nictitating eyelid functions as a “windshield  wiper” that slides across the eye at a 45 degree angle.

The Great Horned Owl’s extraordinary hearing depends on many adaptations, including a  much larger and more complex area of the brain that processes hearing located in the medulla. The asymmetric placement of ears allows the Great Horned Owl to triangulate the source of a sound without tilting or twisting the head. Facial disks and “ear” tufts can be shaped much like a radar dish to channel sounds even more effectively.

The feathers of the Great Horned Owl are uniquely designed to limit the noise of flight. Compared to other birds, owls have few down feathers, instead the contour feathers have downy barbules and the leading edge has flutings or fimbriare. The wings are relatively large and rounded which allows for slow silent flight. The Great Horned Owl is a perfectly designed stealth hunter. Even the legs and feet are covered in feathers! These tiny feathers provide warmth and act as tactile sensors.

The courtship between owls begin in October and is marked by greatly increased vocalizations as single owls try to locate mates. By December, the mated pairs will begin singing duets. The female may be physically larger, but the male’s voice is much lower. Pairs are monogamous and remain in their territory year round. This territory is aggressively protected while the pair is raising chicks.

Pairs often start with an abandoned raven or squirrel nest and proceed to improve it. Tree hollows are sometimes selected. Either way, mating occurs in the early spring, resulting in a usual clutch of two eggs. Incubation is 30 – 37 days and the hatchlings will be brooded continuously for two weeks.

Hatchlings are bright white puffballs that slowly gain their distinctive plumage.  Nestlings move from the nest to nearby branches at about six weeks and fledge a week or two later. 

Great Horned owlets are one of the first animals that arrive at the Wildlife Center each spring. Great Horned Owls nest much earlier than other birds because survival of their offspring hinge on the babies being old enough to hunt at the peak of summer.

This year saw a dramatic increase in the numbers of Great Horned owlets finding their way to us for care. It is believed that the Ike ravaged squirrel and crow nests did not provide a sufficient base for the Great Horned owls to embellish.

 By Margaret Pickell

 One cool night in late January a resident pair of Great Horned Owls circled the Cole Creek development searching for the ideal place to raise their future babies.  They were having a tough time because so many trees had been cleared  to build human homes.

This left the birds looking in a neighborhood.  The pair settled on a huge pile of pine needles on the roof of a welcoming homeowner.  Mother owl sat on the eggs waiting for them to hatch.  Two big fuzzy babies hatched from their eggs and so the arduous task of finding food began for the parents. 

When the babies were about 4 weeks old a heavy rain storm pelted the roof as strong winds began to blow.  One baby was blown from the high roof, the other baby stoically made its way up to the peak of the roof and over the top where it was protected by an air vent. 

Mother owl tried to feed both babies but several days later the one on the ground began to get weaker.  A neighbor called the WR&E Wildlife Center and after many questions it was determined it would be best to bring the little fellow in for an exam and possible return to the nest.

  The young owlet was brought in on March 22.  It was checked over by our volunteer Veterinarian, Dr. Brenda Flores.  No broken wings or bones were found.  The owlet was very thin and dehydrated.  The Wildlife Center staff and volunteers nursed the little guy back to health and after a week he was checked again and it was determined he would be able to be re-nested. 

During this week wildlife staff stayed very busy trying to coordinate the successful return of this baby to his family.  Calls were made in an attempt to find a safe way to return the baby.  Ladders were not going to work because it was too high and not safe to carry the owlet up to the top.  By the end of the first day it looked like we were striking out for the re-nesting project.  Then CenterPoint Energy stepped up to the plate.  With them we hit a homerun. 

They sent out two crews and two different trucks for our use.   A plan was discussed with several back ups and away we went.  The little baby traveled well in the car to his old neighborhood.  While Sharon Schmalz, who specializes in Great Horned Owls, got into her safety harness a crowd began to form. 

Many area children getting home from school were curious about the re-nesting project.  They all sat patiently on the grass as a wildlife specialist explained to them what was going to happen and that the Great Horned Owls were a protected species.  Questions were answered and everyone was ready for the action to begin.

The mother Great Horned Owl was seen sitting in a giant pine tree several yards away.  Now everyone was ready for the re-nesting.  The bucket truck began lifting and everyone held their breaths.  Sharon and the owlet reached the old nest and she gently lifted him into the nest. The crowd of children down below clapped as the baby was returned to his home.

He sat for a while and then began taking clumsy baby steps up the top of the roof.  He knew where he was. While the crowd was watching the newly returned baby, the sibling appeared to greet him.  Both babies hopped to the shade of the chimney and began their wait for dinner. 

Sometimes we wish we had time to capture special moments like this on film.  As it just so happened an Animal Planet crew was there to film the continuing saga of our little charge. 

Night settled on the now quiet neighborhood. As families went about their evening business a large shadowy figure was hunting silently in the night for dinner for her two owlet babies.

Postscript – Mom took great care of her  two babies and the homeowners report that the babies have successfully fledged. All three have been seen hunting in the neighborhood. A special thanks goes out to CenterPoint Energy for bringing two bucket trucks to the rescue and Animal Planet for documenting the saga of this wonderful Great Horned Owl family.