Baby Raptor season is in full swing. The current count is 12 Barn Owls, 1 Great Horned Owl and 5 Western Screech Owls. One Screech Owl is injured, the remaining owlets were orphaned when their nests were destroyed. Interns Allison and Mary have quickly become adept at getting baby owls to eat on their own.

Four Western Screech Owls have been banded and placed in a hack box. The young owls will be fed in the box for one week, then the door will be opened allowing them to fledge. Food will continue to be placed on the box until the owls have learned to hunt and no longer need to be fed.

Swainson’s Hawk 26-052 collided with a fence, fracturing the major and minor metacarpals in his left wing and dislocating his left hip. The damage was too extensive to repair and the hawk was euthanized.

Nestling Great Horned Owl 26-053 was found in an abandoned house in John Day. The finders saw no adult owls for several days and the house was scheduled to be torn down. There was no place to mount an artificial nest so the owl was transported to Pendleton. It is a very good eater, gaining 101 grams (507g – 638g) in four days.

Western Screech Owl 26-055 collided with something, dislocating his hip. We anticipate the young owl will heal with tincture of time and anti-inflammatories.