WILSON, Wyo. — On Thursday, May 9, the Teton Raptor Center, a non-profit organization that researches and rehabilitates raptors, received three four-week old great horned owl hatchlings from Cokeville, and after being fed and cared for over the past week, they are being relocated into new foster nests in the wild.
The birds were accidentally displaced after a tree in which they were nesting was cut down.
“Great horned owls often nest in tree cavities, so you might not know they are there,” Teton Raptor Center Avian Care Coordinator Amanda Penn told Buckrail. “There were no other trees in the area, so Game and Fish knew to call the Raptor Center.”
As soon as the Raptor Center received the chicks, staff began feeding them three times a day. The feeding process requires a staff member or volunteer to dress up in a ghillie suit, a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble the background environment, such as foliage, so the birds do not see a human. This process is called “ghosting-out,” and it ensures that the chicks don’t associate humans with receiving food. Staff use a great horned owl cut-out or stuffed owl when placing down the food, which consists of mice, rats, quail and chicks. Penn said that the three hatchling have been good little eaters.
On Wednesday, May 15, the Teton Raptor Center placed the first of three displaced siblings into its new foster nest in Wilson. The hatchling is settling in with its two adopted siblings, which are estimated to be a few days older. Younger hatchlings require a lot more care than older birds, so all the birds in a nest together need to be at the same stage in development.
“We placed one in a new nest this morning,” Penn told Buckrail on Wednesday. “We have a high success rate of placing baby owls in foster nests.”
According to Penn, raptors are probably not good at counting, and they will typically feed however many youngsters that live in their nest. Penn says it’s important to not over-crowd a nest though, because this can overwhelm the parents working hard to feed the babies. So, the hatchlings have to be spread out into different nests to alleviate undue stress on the parents.
Penn said that she was headed out to scout for two other great horned owl nests in the region.
To secure new homes for the remaining two babies, “The chicks need to be healthy, the same age and the nest needs to be accessible,” Penn said. “If it looks appropriate, we will get the birds in there.”
The Raptor Center has research biologists, staff and volunteers to help share information on possible nest locations. Jackson Hole residents have also been calling with potential nest locations.
Once the babies are all situated, the Raptor Center will post patient video and photo updates of their status.
