A Secret in the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

A Secret in the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree We received a phone call from someone who asked if we take in owls for rehabilitation. I replied, “yes we do,” there was silence for a moment and she said “OK, I'll call back when my husband comes home, he’s got the baby owl in a box tucked in for the long ride.” I asked where her husband was when he found the owl. She said he works for the company that transports and secures the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. She lived about an hour south so we met in the middle to do the transfer. Once secured, I peaked in the box and saw this little face looking up at me. She was a little Saw-whet owl, the smallest owls we have in the northeast. All baby owls are born in the spring so the idea that there was a baby owl in November didn’t make sense. Back at Ravensbeard Wildlife Center, we gave her fluids and fed her all the mice she would eat. It had been three days since she ate or drank anything. So far so good, her eyes are bright and she seems relatively in good condition with all she’s been through. Once she checks in with the vet and gets a clean bill of health, she’ll be released to continue on her wild and wonderful journey. Our hearts go out to all those "behind the scenes" workers. Great job and thanks for saving Rockefeller!

 

Ravensbeard Wildlife Center : Rockefeller Release

A note about Rocky

Rocky was released at dusk so she could hide from the diurnal alarm birds in the forest. She will travel hundreds of miles south to a warmer hunting ground where she will spend most of the winter. It was a perfect release...she sat on my hand for a few minutes, scoped out here surroundings and flew beautifly to the nearest pinetree for more photo ops. After about 5 minutes, she decided to leave. Saw-whet owls are extremely nocturnal, meaning their rarely seen during the day so they don’t have many encounters with humans. Therefore, humans are not seen as a threat. They also don’t flush easily so you can get quite close, if you are lucky enough to spot one.

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