Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Hannaford Farm Family Owl


I know I have always talked about how wonderful it is to live in a rural setting and today was no exception.

Over the past several weeks we have been listening to two Great Horned Owls carry on conversations through the night and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.

Our neighbors, Brian and Cindy Babka, have been following the pair of juvenile owls around our neighborhood since the first time they heard the screeching. Brian armed himself with a high powered light and tracked the birds to the many rooftops of their neighbors.

Other families in the neighborhood have joined in and taken an interest in the pair of owls, following them around just to get a glimpse of their beauty.

Little did neighbor, Michele Bruno, know she would get an up close and personal meeting with one of the two owls. On Wednesday morning, as she walked around the house, she noticed the large, brown bird floating in her pool. Its head was not submerged and it was still alive, neck deep in water.

Not knowing what to do, Michele called her neighbor over to help assess the situation. The two immediately started calling rescue agency after rescue agency only to find none of them were able to help and if they might have been able to assist, it would have been too late to save the bird.

Fearing they could further injure the bird or injure themselves, Michele luckily tracked down Sugar Grove Police Officer, Tom Barna. Officer Barna called for assistance and Officer Aaron Riley arrived on the scene. Together the two officers were able to rescue the owl from the water by placing a noose over the bird’s neck and gently placing it into a lidded box.

Knowing just what the owl needed, Officer Barna called the Fox Valley Wildlife Center in Elburn, Illinois, who then graciously took the scared, drenched owl into their care.

A few hours had passed and our curiosity could not be contained, we needed to know what happened to our neighborhood owl. We called the Fox Valley Wildlife Center and listened to the hours but didn’t understand that the hospital is not open to the public.

Upon seeing the faces of our kids huddled around the doorway, the staff couldn’t help but provide us with a picture of our friend in his cage. They gave us as much information that they could about his condition.

We learned that the owl must have been trying to catch something to eat out of the pool and for some reason ended up getting his feathers too wet. The wet feathers prevented him from getting out of the water and basically held him hostage until he was rescued.

The owl was dehydrated and scared but for the most part he was completely healthy. No broken wings or any maladies to worry about. The hospital staff plans on keeping the owl for approximately a week and then releasing it back into the wild.

One of our biggest concerns was that this young owl would desperately miss his sibling back at Hannaford Farm. So we kindly requested that when he is ready for life back in the wild suburbs, that he could be released back where he was found. No, not back at the pool but back at the barn where we believe the owls are living.

To everyone’s delight they staff of the Fox Valley Wildlife Center agrees with this philosophy and hopes to have him returned home as soon as our friend the owl is eating his mice and gaining strength again.

Many people had a hand in insuring this animal was saved from certain death and we are all personally thankful. It is fortunate that we have a place like the Fox Valley Wildlife Center that cares for wounded animals.

A special thank you goes to the Sugar Grove Officers who put aside normal protocol and rescued this beautiful animal. In turn they helped a scared homeowner who had run out of options and then thoughtfully brought our neighborhood owl to a place where it could be cared for.

Living in a small, rural town is the greatest!

p.s. as a follow up with the sibling owl left behind here in Hannaford Farm…he/she was out looking for his brother right where he was last seen. We watched the owl go from rooftop to rooftop calling out with their familiar screeches. It broke our hearts knowing just what he/she was missing. Hopefully soon they will be reunited.

8 comments:

Nice and Easy Antiques said...

What a story, Janet! I can only imagine the kid's faces when all this was going on! A couple of years ago, while in Argentina visiting friends, an owl in their neighborhood had babies, the strange thing is that her nest was made at the end of a 6 foot post, so it was very easy to see, if you were lucky enough and the Mom wasn't around!! My friend started feeding the babies every day...it was quite an experience! Me, total city girl, stayed as far as possible!!! Yeap, total chicken!!! LOL
Marcela

Unknown said...

Hi Janet! Such a cool story!!!

:) T

tara said...

Lovely Story, what a gorgeous creature,I hope those siblings will be reunited soon too, that would break my heart~

Anonymous said...

Aww, that is a great story. I've got to get myself settled into a small rural town one day. The closest I've ever come to experiencing something like this is reading Barbara Kingsolver novels. I think it's sad that witnessing something like this is so unusual for so many people.

Faded Plains said...

What a beautiful owl...so glad this story has a happy ending...well, it'll be better when they're reunited again.

erin said...

What a neat story...We too have an owl in our neighborhood. My 2 yr old son loves to listen to the owl and repeat the sounds it makes. I can't wait to show him the picture of your owl, then he can see what one actually looks like.

Anonymous said...

Hello !.
You may , probably very interested to know how one can reach 2000 per day of income .
There is no initial capital needed You may begin to get income with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you haven`t ever dreamt of such a chance to become rich
The company incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

Its head office is in Panama with structures around the world.
Do you want to become a happy investor?
That`s your choice That`s what you wish in the long run!

I feel good, I began to get income with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. It`s all about how to choose a proper partner utilizes your money in a right way - that`s the AimTrust!.
I take now up to 2G every day, and my first investment was 500 dollars only!
It`s easy to start , just click this link http://adohyweca.jamminweb.com/mewijaw.html
and go! Let`s take our chance together to get rid of nastiness of the life

Anonymous said...

Good day !.
You re, I guess , perhaps curious to know how one can manage to receive high yields .
There is no need to invest much at first. You may commense to receive yields with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you haven`t ever dreamt of such a chance to become rich
The company incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

It is based in Panama with offices everywhere: In USA, Canada, Cyprus.
Do you want to become a happy investor?
That`s your chance That`s what you desire!

I feel good, I began to get income with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. It`s all about how to choose a correct partner utilizes your funds in a right way - that`s AimTrust!.
I make 2G daily, and my first investment was 500 dollars only!
It`s easy to get involved , just click this link http://ajesoqybe.freecities.com/finefawa.html
and lucky you`re! Let`s take this option together to feel the smell of real money