Yellow Parentheses

A Short Eared Owl is bundled in a brown towel. The owl's eyes - wide in size and narrow in focus - appear mostly black from the pupils within, and are flanked by crescents of yellow, like bright parentheses. He has white feathers about his face, punctuated by a black beak and surrounded by a mane of caramel, brown and charcoal feathers.

Original post – 04 Dec 2021
by Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue
located in Port Townsend, Washington US
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Original text:

This is a short-eared owl. He weighs 310 grams-so not very big. A female might weigh up to 500 grams. His name refers to two small feather tufts on the top of the head. This cute guy was caught in a barbed-wire fence and tore a large portion of his right wing open. Dr. Ginny Johnson was able to surgically suture soft tissue back together. We did it right here at our facilities new surgical suite. Your donation dollars at work! We put a new anesthesia machine, wet table, and surgical light to use. These owls are disappearing all around the country and are endangered in some states. Here, they are a species of great concern. Habitat loss and predation are the main causes. His recovery depends on how well his wounds heal. We are providing expert care and hope he gets to be released!

An oblique close-up of the owl in an enclosure with natural light. A purple bandage takes up the bottom left of frame, wrapped around the owl's wing. The owl's attention is off-camera somewhere. The owl's eye is a black circle surrounded by a narrow ring of yellow, like a solar eclipse.
Same owl, different towel. The rehabilitator wears a blue hoodie and holds the owl lightly to their chest, with the owl's legs locked between their fingers. The owl's talons are in grabby mode. His expression is, despite everything, fairly neutral. Maybe a little grumpy, but a neutral kind of grumpy.

Link to donate to Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio flammeusShort-eared OwlWiki link

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