...love is in the air!

Hey y’all,

It’s been an early spring and the only baby calls I’ve gotten so far have been for Great horned owls. After I have reviewed their photos to determine whether it needs more time in the nest, I have then been able to guide the good Samaritans in the installation of a basket for the little tike. One golf course called me yesterday with a good report to say the youngster has now transitioned onto the 2x4 they had first nailed to the tree! I asked him to bring a ‘real’ camera (rather than his cell phone) and I would post it.

Re-nesting DOES work and is the best possible scenario for Great horned owl babies because for some reason, they refuse to hang around once I open the doors, even with all the operant conditioning stuff I do.

Here is a pic of a baby Great horned owl that hit the ground too soon and has been given a helping hand by some very caring humans…

All this said, it is NORMAL for young raptors to fledge before they can fly and unfortunately, this is how many of them are accidentally orphaned. If it’s possible to leave them be, do so and the parents will care for them on the ground while they are testing their wings, but sometimes subdivisions/dogs/cats/motorways/idiot kids with sticks sometime force us to intervene and rescue the baby to raise and hack out here at the sanctuary.

HawkTalk has provided 6 of the 15 photos for the web site “Environmental Graffiti” for an article entitled, “15 Ridiculously Adorable Baby Owls”! If the reader clicks on my name at the bottom of the image, they will be directed to our site where they can learn about our mission. http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-15-cute-and-fluffy-baby-owls?image=14

In other news, I received 2 cases within 24 hours…the video clip is below this entry.


This is what fishing line does to birds…please be mindful with your line!

I know life sucks for a lot of people right now, but we really need a helping hand in the form of Mouse Money. You would be surprised how I can stretch five dollars. Please help us by going over to our site www.hawktalk.org and click on the ‘donate’ button where it will take you over to PayPal, which is just as safe as handing your credit/debit card to wait staff at a diner. If the electronic thing gives you the willies, you can snail mail us a check to:

Monteen McCord
HawkTalk
P.O. Box 130
Holly Springs, GA 30142

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog….m.