One of our families recently had an adventure with a great horned owl.  We would like to pass this story on because apparently soccer nets pose a threat to these lovely creatures and others who hunt at night.

 

 

I woke up very early this morning with a sick dog. Just before daylight this morning, Dorothy discovered this fellow in the kids’ soccer net. It’s a great horned owl. We clipped the net to get him to the ground, and covered him loosely with a sleeping bag. He was very tangled up. And with these claws and that beak, we decided to call a professional. We called the wildlife rescue folks and they saved him. I got to help. [It was} really neat. Check out the mitts on this dude!  The lady who rescued it is named Douglass Swanson. She is a specialist for raptors and songbirds. She was pretty cool. After about 50 clips of the soccer net, we had him loose. She tested his wings and checked his feet and we took him to the woods and off he went. If you ever need her services, her number is 728-2939. 

He was around a foot tall. The wingspan was about 3 feet I guess hard to estimate. I wanted to take more pictures, but we were very concerned: he was very stressed. Ms. Swanson estimated that he was a first year bird, and that they often make “hunting mistakes”. We’re taking down the soccer net since we are not using it right now. She said that she has seen them in those before. 

Many bird enthusiasts recommend putting soccer nets away or laying them down on the ground overnight to prevent this sort of situation from happening.  To learn more about great horned owls, click here. 

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