A Visitor from the North

 

For the second year in a row, Washington State is playing host to a remarkable group of visitors from the North. A number of Snowy Owls have once again made the trek down from the arctic to winter along our coast. We began receiving calls about sightings of the birds in early November, and we assumed it was only a matter of time before one arrived at the PAWS Wildlife Center for care.  On December 11, that assumption proved to be correct as a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife enforcement agent brought us an injured Snowy Owl that was found in Monroe, WA.

The owl had been rescued at a Monroe area wetland by a group of duck hunters. The men had been seeing the owl for several days, and she seemed to be having difficulty with one of her wings. When the owl became weak enough to approach, they captured her and handed her off to the WDFW agent who brought her to PAWS.

Some swelling is present in the owl’s left wing, but no fractures were evident on her X-rays. She is very thin and weak. For now, she has been prescribed cage rest while her injured wing heals, and she is also being treated for intestinal parasites.

 

Comments

[Susan Mullen]

What a beautiful girl! Thanks, Kevin, to you and the crew for helping her.