From Ali Xiadi
I say lucky squirrel! 😟 FLORIDA
Help win some free meals for owls, other than this squirrel! 🐿️ (You can only vote for me once.)
That’s an ominous pose
The owls name is Doom, and it comes for us all!
this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2025
73 points (100.0% liked)
Superbowl
4081 readers
291 users here now
For owls that are superb.
US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now
International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com
Australia Rescue Help: WIRES
Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org
If you find an injured owl:
Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.
Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.
Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.
If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.
For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
It's just biding its time... 👿
“So long as you’re not out there jumping in front of owls with your no-good friends!”
“Aw, nah baby, I’ll be good!”
Later:
Squirrel Nutkin energy!
Didn't we read owls have fairly weak beaks, and do their killing with their feet? And they can only control their grab mechanism by extending (to open) and retracting (to close). Owls are designed to drop on things, with their legs extended, and then let their formidable claws close as they absorb the impact.
So this squirrel is probably about as safe as it can be. The owl would have to jump in the air and come back down before the squirrel makes its escape, and squirrels can run upside down along the underside of a branch - utterly protected from the owl.
I think it's telling that the owl is utterly ignoring the squirrel. That's just not a likely catch.
Now, other raptors with strong, killing beaks, like hawks, that'd be playing Russian roulette. But the squirrel is probably totally safe with this owl, in this situation.
You are correct. He's also in the owl's blind spot there too. There's not room for the owl to flip on its back and go all claws out either.
The squirrel is probably about as dangerous to the owl really.
I just thought it was more exciting than calling it "Owl Unphased by Passing Squirrel." Maybe "Crossing Guard" would have worked...
Everything I know about owls, I learned from you sensei.
😁
I'm sure we've got a lot more ahead of us!
It's a real honor seeing some of you really pay attention to my owl ramblings.