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.
From Randi Najac
There's something about a screech owl that just always looks so grumpy!!
I feel like he's saying, "Hey lady, keep on walking! I've got one more hour of sunlight and then I'm going hunting!"
Western screech owl (in a saguaro cactus), Arizona, March, 2025
Now that is a "fuck off"-stare if I've ever seen one. Wow.
If someone moves into a cactus, they're probably not big on having company... 😁
Blake puts this face on when his sciatica acts up. He's actually very pleasant on his good days. Ask him about his Disney spoon collection, he'll warm right up.
😀
I don't have cactus in my country. I love to see it in your post. They are much more than the vague image I got on them from cartoons and tiny potted once. They are very much like trees, looking very woody when dried and nesting animals.
Thanks for sharing <3
They are very important parts of the desert ecosystem! I hope to someday soon get to go to that part of the country myself and see them in person, along with all the fancy rock formations and canyons.
It's impressive to see the big ones in person. It takes them about 70 years to get 6 feet tall. They can live to be 150 and weigh over a ton. Seeing how the sun reflects off of the stone cliffs at sunset is neat too (Arizona). And how many stars you can see at night.
I don't miss the desert (I'm made for the cold), but there are fascinating things about it.
That is pretty impressive!
I also prefer it cooler, but there's just too much neat looking stuff in the SW to not check it out.
With the Park Service under fire though, we're taking our trip somewhere more guaranteed this year. 😔
"So! Where do you live?"
"No."
"Across the scorching desert, down the cliff of jagged rocks, and just through the thickest cactus patch, and I'm third on the right. Come by aaaany time...."
/Oscar the Grouch laugh