Still counting

His name is HUIT (pronounced "ooeet) which is French for the number eight. This very tiny Great Horned Owl baby was found on the ground this evening after a strong wind hit the Powell area. Mom was in the area so I went up in a bucket truck to see if there were any other babies in the nest. There weren't any others and the side of the nest not against the tree trunk was non-existent. The entire nest was probably an old magpie nest so what remained wasn't very large.

I made the decision to bring the baby back as he'd fallen about 20' and seemed a bit hurt in that he wasn't opening his eyes and there appeared to be some bruising around them. I got some cut up mouse pieces down him tonight and he's in a small crate on a heat source, hopefully he'll make it through the night.

If he does and is strong enough I have a plan to repair the existing nest with a large wooden woven basket and give him back to his parents. Right now our weather is iffy with rain storms predicted so the plan many not happen. We'll play it by ear and see if HUIT can be sent home.