On Friday, June 1, a woman in Orange County, Virginia walked into an abandoned silo on her property and surprised a brood of sleeping Barn Owls. One of the juvenile owls flew into the side of the silo and crashed into the wall before falling to the ground. The woman carefully collected the owl and brought it to a permitted rehabilitator in her area. After monitoring the juvenile Barn Owl for three days, the rehabilitator noted that the owl did not appear to have any lingering damage as a result of the collision, but she also knew that in order for the owl to completely recover, it would need a much larger space to rehabilitate. The rehabilitator delivered the Barn Owl to the Center’s vice president, Randy Huwa, who then transported the owl to the Center on the morning of Tuesday, June 5.
Upon admission, Barn Owl #12-1152 was examined by Dr. Miranda Sadar. Dr. Miranda found the owl to be a little thin and dehydrated but it was otherwise a healthy bird. Because the owl was observed colliding with a wall, Dr. Miranda carefully examined the owl for signs of head trauma, but found none present; however, she did recommend that the owl’s behavior and attitude be observed closely over the next three days in case any signs of trauma were late to present themselves.
The owl was also given fluids and a series of standard admission tests which were all within normal limits. The owl was bright and alert throughout its examination, but it was not very aggressive or vocal. This concerned the hospital’s vet staff, as normally a Barn Owl of this age [about two months] would be more agitated and defensive when handled.
When Barn Owl #12-1152 was brought into the Center’s treatment area and examined on the morning of Wednesday, June 6, it was much more active, and on the morning of Thursday, June 7, the trend continued, as the owl vocalized much more readily. With this return to more appropriate behavior, the Center’s veterinarians are much more confident that #12-1152 will be able to transition to an outdoor flight enclosure soon to prepare for an eventual release.
If you are interested in hearing what an adult Barn Owl sounds like in the wild, you can listen to some recordings of them at Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology All About Birds online audio gallery here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Owl/sounds