Wednesday, July 22, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Tales from a
Sisters
Naturalist
by Jim Anderson
Please, put ’em
back if you can!
This is that time of year
when baby birds begin
appearing in unexpected
places. The other day, I
got a call on my cell phone
from a lady on a bike who
had came upon a baby bird
right in the middle of the
bike path. She said she
screeched to a halt, leaned
her bike against a tree and
was about to pick up the
little darlin’ when she was
suddenly accosted by a very
irate momma robin.
That was a happy end-
ing, the biker said to herself:
“Momma bird is attacking
me; there’s a baby bird in
front of me and I bet they
know each other.” She did
the best thing possible;
picked up the baby bird and
placed it in a crotch of the
tree her bike was leaning
against, then jumped back
on and continued her ride,
and called me, asking, “Did
I do the right thing?”
Did she ever!
Last week I received a
call from Dixie, who lives
out near Camp Polk, she
was concerned about a
“baby owl” on the ground
in her backyard. I sug-
gested she place box over it
with a rock on top and I’d
come and see what’s going
on when the opportunity
showed itself.
About dusk, I rolled into
Dixie and Bill’s front yard
and they took me to the box
I told them to set over the
owl to protect it from jays
and blackbirds who mob
owls any time they see one.
As I was slowly feel-
ing around under the box I
thought I heard murmurings
of a Western screech owl
right over my head. As soon
as my hands closed over the
tiny owl under the box it let
out a chirp, and the sound
over my head said, “I’m
here, Sweetie don’t worry,”
(in screech owl language).
Sure enough, as I was
showing Dixie and Bill the
little backyard owl, momma
screech owl flew right over
me, landed on a limb close-
by and began talking to her
child. As it turned out, the
baby screech was still in the
downy stage, but it’s wings
were very well developed
and could sustain the owl in
flight.
After a conversation with
Bill and Dixie I was pretty
sure blue jays or other birds
knocked the owl off a limb
and when it hit the ground,
Dixie saw it as it ran for
cover.
Bill got me a ladder
and very kindly held it for
me next to a small pine as
I placed the little fledgling
on the highest limb I could
reach. When the little guy
was thoroughly settled on
the limb we all retreated
from its refuge and left well
enough alone. I didn’t see
any hungry cats waiting
nearby, and Bill and Dixie
said they were going back
in the house and let momma
owl do her thing, so I qui-
etly drove away and came
back home feelin’ good.
I just love these kinds
of “recoveries.” Momma
owl was there to care for
her wandering child which
meant Jeff and Jeannette at
High Desert Wildlife Rehab
didn’t have to care for the
little guy until it could fly
and catch its own mice.
That’s the best way to
solve just about any baby
bird problem you find on the
ground. Pick it up and place
it on the nearest limb. Make
sure it’s perched safely and
leave it be.
Don’t worry about that
old tale about having the
smell of your hands on the
baby bird and mom will
never go near it again.
That’s been around way
too long and doesn’t have a
grain of truth in it.
If you ever come upon a
young turkey vulture on the
ground, DO NOT EVEN
ATTEMPT TO PICK IT
UP! That IS the time to call
me, ODFW or Jeff Cooney
at High Desert Rehab. The
awful offal those birds are
fed from the time they hatch
would gag a maggot, and as
such it’s loaded with patho-
gens that would give you
the heebie-jeebies. You’d
get a lot of that stuff when
the vulture bit you, and boy,
can they bite.
So, other than that, it’s
best to put baby birds back
into the wild if you find
one lost or stranded. Even
a momma robin will feed
some other robin’s kid if
it’s squawking for food, and
wrens and finches will do
likewise.
But if you have to do
something you’re not sure
of, or want to share your
experience, go ahead and
call me. My traveling phone
is 541-480-3728. I may
be out in the back end of
Harney County banding
eagles, but I’ll try and get
someone to help you. And
thanks for caring…
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5
photo by Jim anderson
Bill and Dixie kept a sharp eye on a baby owl.
On Whychus Creek
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