First Barred Owlets of the Season

When two inquisitive felines stared out the sliding doors of their home in Prior Lake, their view was a rather unusual one. On the other side of the glass was a 3 week old downy barred owl chick.  Apparently it had come out of its nesting cavity too soon, walked up a small hill, and took refuge against the wall of the house.  The home owners, after attending TRC’s Spring Bird Release on May 5^th, knew exactly what to do.  They called TRC and the decision was made to drive it to TRC to make sure it was healthy.  The owlet was given a clean bill of health (and a mouse breakfast) and returned home later that day.  Finding its original cavity proved to be challenging, but once “mom” appeared, TRC volunteer and tree climber John Arent, found a safe spot to place the chick where its parents could resume its care.