As tiring as being a rural veterinarian can be, occasionally an event 
like a barn owl fledgling walking in the door makes it enjoyable.
   The same person who brought in a barn owl last fall arrived Thursday 
with a fledgling she found on her air conditioner. She had seen two on her 
chimney the night before and thought one was ill. It kept raising its 
wings.
   After the history and a physical, I was reasonably sure it left the 
nest a couple of days to early but was otherwise fine. I fed it 2 chicks 
which were gone this morning and another two today. I decided to take it 
back to the house. The chimney was inaccessible due to power lines so we 
placed it on the AC at 9pm. It flew to a protected space on the porch.
   At 9:30 we watched 68 bats squeeze out of a hole in the attic and the 
babies started calling from the chimney. My patient then flew to the 
gutter and on to the chimney. Two birds from the chimney joined him and 
then he flew to a nearby maple. At this point we heard another one in the 
maple. Our fellow flew back to the gutter but could not make if up to the 
chimney.
   An adult then called from the maple. The patient then attempted to fly 
to the chimney one more time but ended up on the ground. The adult 
periodically called. Just before I left the adult landed on the chimney 
and was silhouetted by the moon behind her. Three birds began the "where 
is my dinner chatter."
   In the end, there were five confirmed fledglings (three seen , two 
heard) and at least one adult. What a night.

Scott Pendleton

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