Over the Christmas period, we received a Barn Owl from a local estate, which was found unable to fly in a field. We arranged for X-rays, which revealed a broken wing. After consulting with our specialist Avian vet, Dr Elliott Simpson-Brown MRCVS, it was decided to give the bird time for the bone to heal. Broken wings can often be very difficult for us to treat, as when they heal they often form a callous over the broken bone, which can be detrimental to flight.
X-ray showing a clean break
After a few weeks, the Barn Owl was showing signs of having recovered, and was moved to a slightly larger aviary where she demonstrated her flying ability hadn’t been compromised. She was ringed before release by the team.
Dolly with the Barn Owl ready for release
As the estate was near where our Education Officer lives, Susan called the finder to let them know that the Owl was ready for release and invited them to come along and see the bird go. Susan was surprised (and very excited!) to then receive an invitation to see another release scheduled for the same day!
Upon arrival, there was a large crowd of people gathered in an enclosed area with a large pond. This was to be the new home for a family of five Beavers, who had been relocated from Scotland by the Beaver Trust. A historic moment, as these are believed to be the first Beavers in Suffolk for over 400 years! The group were released into the enclosure and the youngsters quickly went about exploring the area, much to the delight of the onlookers! The mother was reluctant to leave her travel box and seemed quite content snuggled in the straw.
With some difficulty, Susan dragged herself away from the Beaver pool to release the Barn Owl, followed by the majority of the crowd! The finder informed Susan that the owl had been found by her son in the field at the back of the barn, and this looked like the perfect meadow for the release to take place.
The Barn Owl had been reluctant to go in the box, so Susan was expecting her to fly out as soon as the lid was lifted, but as the Beavers had demonstrated, some animals aren’t too keen on freedom. With the box open, the Barn Owl was seen to be napping in the corner. Gentle tapping didn’t stir her, neither did tilting the box. Eventually, Susan had no option but to pick her up, and sensing a breeze under her wings, she took off and flew beautifully over her meadow, with plenty of ooooohhhs and aaaaahs from the crowd.
Barn Owl heading back across the meadow. Photo credit Stuart Atkins Photography
With both releases deemed successful, Susan managed to chat with the farmer about their conservation plans. We look forward to working with the estate to install nest boxes for owls and kestrels in the future.
The location of this release is not being made public knowledge at this time to allow the family to settle in.
All release photos (Beaver/ Barn Owl) taken by Stuart Atkins Photography.