Barred Owl Strix varia
Case Histories 2, 3, & 4: Shuffling Barred Owls
One Sunday at the peak of Barred Owl nesting season in 2004, we mounted an expedition to return two juvenile Barred Owls to their parents. Tim Leopard and I were joined by Tim and Fran Johnson, from of Anniston, Alabama, who take part in a great many reunitings for the Wildlife Center. The birds were from different areas, and we planned to devote an entire afternoon to the expedition.
Case 2
Nestling Barred Owl reunited to nest basket in original nest tree. Sibling in shallow nest cavity moved to nest basket for safety.
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Our first stop was a beautiful wooded area near Noccolula Falls, in Etowah County, Alabama. The nestling owl had been found at the base of a large Beech tree by a small pond. When Tim Leopard, the Center’s volunteer tree climber, climbed up into the tree’s upper branches, he discovered another nestling owl huddled in a very shallow cavity in the tree. This explained why the other nestling had been found on the ground. The nest cavity was dangerously shallow for the growing birds. Tim installed a nest basket close to the cavity and put both young birds in the basket. While Tim was descending the tree, one of the adults flew in to see what was happening to its offspring. It was not necessary to play the recorded calls at all.
To Return to the Barred Owls Species Notes, Click Here.