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look what landed in my back yard ...

by kenmichaels
11 replies
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Look at his feet ... tethers and a ID band .... I think someone lost
a pet !

It's so tiny - less then a foot tall. He needs to go back home,
the owls that live here are 5 times bigger and will think
he is lunch.


  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Awesome bird. It might be a good idea to try to track down that ID. You should call the Dept of Fish and Wildlife if you have caught the bird.


    Many people think it would be fun to have an owl for a pet, but few people have any true comprehension of what is involved in caring for one.

    It is illegal to keep owls without special permits in most countries. Some countries issue permits to individuals to keep owls after necessary training and proper facilities have been built. The United States does not allow private individuals to keep native owls as pets--they may only be possessed by trained, licensed individuals while being rehabilitated, as foster parents in a rehabilitation facility, as part of a breeding program, for educational purposes, or certain species may be used for falconry in some states (although they rarely make good falconry birds.) Even in these instances, the person licensed to keep the owl does not "own" the bird--the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service retains "stewardship" of the birds so that they may recall them at any time if permit conditions are not being met.
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    • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      Awesome bird. It might be a good idea to try to track down that ID. You should call the Dept of Fish and Wildlife if you have caught the bird.
      Never even considered catching him. I only managed a few pics
      before he flew into a tree where i cant see him, or even if
      he is still in the tree.

      I will look at the original and see it the id band has legible numbers
      ... that's a good idea.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Owls are cool.

    I watched a documentary about owls a while back, they make almost no noise while flying. They had an owl & a pigeon flying at separate times in a sound proof room measuring the decibels, the owl didn't even register on the meter.
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    • Profile picture of the author positivenegative
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      Owls are cool.
      Except in the rain when it's too wet to woo.
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by positivenegative View Post

        Except in the rain when it's too wet to woo.
        The documentary I watched also mentioned that (rain/owls) saying an owl in a monsoon could end up dying from starvation since their feathers aren't waterproof.
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        • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
          I too think that owls are super cool - that is definitely neat that one came in your back yard, Ken

          I believe that special visits like that are symbolic - according to this website:
          Owl Symbol

          The owl is a symbol for vigilance, acute wit and has been associated with spirits. It is a guide in the underworld but an effective hunter and the Celtic symbolizes it with wisdom, keen sight, and patience.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I think Suzanne is right. A a few species of owls are endangered so the F&W might be tagging them to keep track of them. Not much you can do about a live one that flies off, but if you ever find a dead one that's tagged, you need to report it.
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  • Profile picture of the author DWaters
    Owls are not kept as pets. There are very strickt federal regulations against keeping them (any bird of prey) in captivity in any manner. The tag must be from your local state Wildlife Department. As long as the bird is not injured he will be fine to do his own thing in the wild.

    About two years ago my neighor's cat caught a screech owl and they ended up taking it the local wildlife rehab center, the vet checked it out and deemed it fit to return to the wild. I was the one who got to take the bird (I used my cat carrier) from the rehab center back to their wooded back yard where he flew right off as soon as he could, happy to be home.
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    • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
      Originally Posted by DWaters View Post

      Owls are not kept as pets. There are very strickt federal regulations against keeping them (any bird of prey) in captivity in any manner. The tag must be from your local state Wildlife Department. As long as the bird is not injured he will be fine to do his own thing in the wild.

      About two years ago my neighor's cat caught a screech owl and they ended up taking it the local wildlife rehab center, the vet checked it out and deemed it fit to return to the wild. I was the one who got to take the bird (I used my cat carrier) from the rehab center back to their wooded back yard where he flew right off as soon as he could, happy to be home.
      That bird has tethers. Any idea why? The tethers, more then the ID band
      was what gave me the impression it was a pet.

      I was hoping to get more pics, but ... nope

      Pet or wild - it's a beautiful bird and so unlike any other I have
      seen around here.
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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

        That bird has tethers. Any idea why? The tethers, more then the ID band
        was what gave me the impression it was a pet.

        I was hoping to get more pics, but ... nope

        Pet or wild - it's a beautiful bird and so unlike any other I have
        seen around here.
        It could be part of a research program or a falconer could be licensed to train and keep it. Owls don't make good birds for falconry and this might be an example of just that scenario. If it is purely an unlicensed pet, I'm glad it escaped. Amateurs wouldn't know how to care for an owl.
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        • Profile picture of the author DWaters
          Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

          It could be part of a research program or a falconer could be licensed to train and keep it. Owls don't make good birds for falconry and this might be an example of just that scenario. If it is purely an unlicensed pet, I'm glad it escaped. Amateurs wouldn't know how to care for an owl.
          Yes the fact that there was a tether sounds odd to me and there may have been something unusual such as training or research as mentioned above. Perhaps the bird was involved in a rehab from injury situation and got well enough to escape ???
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