From Wildlife in Need PA
On 5/12/26, WIN volunteers Jane & Mike Pierzga rushed to help a screech owl hanging by a wing 20+ feet up in a tree, as reported by finder David K. near State College, PA.
When they arrived, one finder was already on a ladder freeing the owl's wing from a splintered snag (yellow circle). The owl was in rough shape, bloody and non-responsive. It would occasionally blink its eyes slowly. Jane gently placed the owl into a cushioned carrier, and one of the finders rushed the bird to Centre Wildlife Care (CWC).
Meanwhile, Mike used a fiber optic camera to explore a small hole that David indicated near the snag in the same tree (red circle).
Eyes bordered by fluff stared back into the camera. The camera showed at least two owlets.
Mike and a finder steadied the ladder as Jane climbed to the top. After carefully anchoring a leg over the top rung and bracing against the tree, she discovered she could squeeze an ungloved hand, barely, into the tiny hole.
She very slowly and carefully extracted 4 owlets safely from the nest cavity. She could only fit an owlet and several fingers in the opening at the same time. She placed each owlet into a shopping bag attached to a rope.
After a final sweep of the cavity, she lowered the babies to those waiting below. Then Mike and Jane transported the babies to CWC.
The intake exam at CWC did not find any broken bones in the adult's wing, which they stabilized to aid healing. With excellent care, the adult survived its initial ordeal and gained strength. Evaluation of the wing is ongoing.
The owlets were quite hungry upon arrival at CWC. The smallest was especially voracious. The babies are doing well and growing. Hopefully, the owlets can reunite with their parent in the CWC clinic soon.
So exciting to see everyone in action together!
Wildlife in Need (WIN) is at near all our events and we refer people to them constantly if they can't get to injured animals themselves or transport them. Centre Wildlife is in Centre County, PA, right outside of Penn State University. They're the people that gave me my rabies shots, so I am familiar with some of those good people also.
In my experience they are nippy until you get a secure grip on them. After the flight and fight get removed, then we go to freeze. (I've discussed a bit about the other ways animals react, freezing and fawning, here.)
Birds seem to know they are not the sturdiest of creatures in a physical fight, so they freeze up or kinda play dead to see if that gets you to leave them alone and to keep themselves from getting hurt unnecessarily. Until you've got that grip on them, they're gonna be nippy or grabby. Owls will toss themselves on their back and do their version of the cat kick.
I've only been bitten by Screech Owls through leather gloves, and that didn't hurt, but they bit fast and repeatedly, so even though they don't have the strongest jaws, it probably isn't pleasant. Such is the glorious career of the rehabber.
On one of my first days at the clinic, someone brought in a cage trap with a fox they caught to bring to us. It was a big trap, and the fox was huddled up scared at the far end. Our rehabber literally just crawled in, her whole body inside with this terrified fox, and drug it out by the scruff, to have it piss all over her when she stood back up, and she was just all like "got it!" It just seems to be part of the whole package. Rehabbers are a crazy breed. 😁
I had no idea, I'm sure fox pee is only the beginning.
They see (and often wear) it all!