FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — On October 4th, 2021 a family discovered a small owl that appeared to be in distress. Later that day, the owl was taken into care by the Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation where it was discovered the barred owl had a broken leg and severe trauma to the right side of its head.
“He wasn’t supposed to be here. We were not supposed to release him,” said Madison Kennedy the Medical and Outreach Coordinator for Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation.
Initial tests showed the owl’s right eye was completely blind due to the trauma. After surgery to place pins in the broken leg, tests showed the owl was also showing blindness in its left eye. For birds of prey, blindness typically leads to euthanasia or long-term care in specialized facilities. Nearly two weeks after surgery veterinarians discovered the owl’s left eye began to regenerate sight.
As time went on, the owl continued to rehabilitate and grow stronger. Saturday, 128 days after the owl was brought to Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation, the barred owl was released back into the wild at the Botanic Garden of the Ozarks in front of nearly 100 people. Due to the anatomy of owls, sight in one eye is not detrimental to their ability to thrive in the wild on their own.
After months of care, the release was bittersweet for Kennedy who even helped bottle-feed the owl after it first arrived at the center. “I did just love him, but at the end of the day, the goal is to get these birds released and back into the wild where they belong,” said Kennedy.
Before releasing ‘Little Guy’, the nickname Kennedy gave to the barred owl, Kennedy spoke to the crowd about the journey to recovery. Kennedy also spoke about the center’s success rate for rehabilitation and release. In six months of operation, the center is a little over halfway to the national average of a 40% success rate, and Saturday brings them one step closer.
For one mother at the release, she believes seeing this will be a memory that sticks with her two young daughters for a long time.
“I just know it’s something that’s going to stick with them, especially because they love owls so much anyway. I think it will be a lasting memory that they have,” said Leslie Massey.
‘Little Guy’ was successfully released in front of the crowd. Before taking refuge in a nearby wooded area, ‘Little Guy’ perched on top of the pergola where the event took place. With a glance back at his caretakers, it felt as if ‘Little Guy’ gave a moment of appreciation for his new lease on life back in the wild where he belongs.
Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation is a 501c3 non-profit. They are currently looking for volunteers and donations as they look to expand their operations and care for injured birds. If you would like more information on ways to get involved or to help, click here. You can also visit their social media pages at @nwbrehab on Instagram or on Facebook.
On Thursday, Feb. 10 from 6-8 p.m. Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation will be hosting a Valentine’s Day event for the birds and are looking forward to seeing the community there for support.
