Covered in soot, a mother screech owl and her fledglings are spotted trapped inside a fireplace at a home in Pajarito Acres. Photo by J. Schillig
With all the soot removed from her feathers and a solid meal in her stomach, this mother owl is released near where she was rescued in Pajarito Acres. She sits in a tree for a while listening for her fledglings and waiting for her rescuers to leave the area. Photo by Corry ClintonFriends noticed some strange noises coming from the fireplace of their home June 26 in Pajarito Acres in White Rock. To their great surprise, an adult Western Screech Owl and two of her fledglings had found their way down the chimney and into the fireplace, lodging just above the flame deflector of the firebox.
Once they had dropped the flame deflector into the firebox, our friends could see the three owls staring and squinting at them.
The birds were all covered with soot and frantically clacking their beaks when approached. All three were caught, although one fledgling got away, flying down the length of the house, leaving soot marks wherever it collided with the walls, and finally trying to hide in the compressor compartment of the freezer. It was eventually caught again and put in the box with the other ones. Then the birds were on their way to Dr. Kathleen Ramsay of the Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation.
Dr. Ramsay’s initial observations were: the owls were hungry, thirsty, and dirty, and, yes, she could and would take care of them. Cleaning the soot off each of the feathers was going to be a labor-intensive job, and because she had to leave town in a few days, Dr. Ramsay called Lori Paras, director of the Santa Fe Raptor Center, for assistance. Paras took over this labor of love, including the feeding of three mice a day to each owl. You think 3 x 3 is nine mice? No, make that 4 x 3, because pretty soon they were joined by yet another (orphan) fledgling.
All in all, the rehabilitation efforts were a success and July 30 all four birds were released in the vicinity of where they were found. Mom will have to teach the three youngsters some more tricks in how to catch mice, and perhaps dad will still be around to help with their flights to independence.
Many thanks to Dr. Ramsay and Lori Paras! Without them, their dedication and expertise, these little owls would have never survived.
Anyone who wants to help with a contribution toward the expenses their organizations incurred can do so at the following addresses:
- Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation (LEWF), P.O. Box 957, Santa Cruz, NM 87567, (landofenchantment.org); and
- The Santa Fe Raptor Center, P.O. Box 32021, Santa Fe, NM 87594 (thesantaferaptorcenter.org).
Mother owl listening for her fledglings. Photo by Corry Clinton