Waterlogged and starving barn owl found in Angus released into the wild
A barn owl chick found starving to death has been released back into the wild after being nursed to health. Gamekeepers spotted the female owlet separated from her three siblings, sitting on a gate soaking wet.
A barn owl chick found starving to death has been released back into the wild after being nursed to health. Gamekeepers spotted the female owlet separated from her three siblings, sitting on a gate soaking wet.
The feathers of the rare species lack water resistance and can become waterlogged in heavy rain.
The owl was checked over by experts at Angus Falconry Services who said it had a minimal chance of survival due to dehydration and lack of food.
Starvation is the main killer of fledgling barn owls and 70% of the species that fledge in the UK die in the first year.
The chick was taken indoors and fed fluids throughout the night through a tube into its stomach and was given round-the-clock care for the first few days.
The emergency intervention helped save the bird's life and it is now well enough that gamekeepers have released it back on to the estate at Millden, Angus.
Upon release, the owl flew straight back to the steading where it had hatched and fledged.
Gamekeeper Jason Clamp said: When we saw the young owl on the gate, its wings were down and we knew immediately something wasn't right.
We had had a few nights of really heavy rain. Its downy feathers were all wet and the falconry experts said it looked as if we had caught it just in time.
It felt really skinny and it didn't look well at all. We knew it needed help quickly or it would die.''
Steve Towell, at Angus Falconry Services, said it was great'' to see the owl take flight.
He said It was touch and go. These things don't always work. It had basically gone into shutdown. We managed to get some fluids in it quickly, using a substance which is like a bird form of glucose, then after a while got it on to a food that is like a pate with all the vitamins it needs.
It had a few days on that and, when it took a mouse, we knew we had to get it back out into the wild fairly soon after.
The longer they are housed, they lose hunting fitness, which can be just as dangerous.''