Into the Mist

A Short-eared owl was turned in to us by an Isabella County Sherrif Deputy last fall.  Short-eared Owls are rare in Michigan, and are one of the most beautiful owls that exist.  Photographs do not do them justice.

Above, Barb Rogers (left) and Joanne Williams (right) examine the owl's injuries.  A fracture in the radius/ulna had rendered her unable to fly.  However, Dr. White was able to splint the wing, and she slowly healed over the winter and exercised in one of our large outdoor flight cages.

Short-eared Owls nest in the far North in open fields on the ground.  Although they sometimes nest in Michigan, they are extremely rare.  Great Horned Owls, also an open country owl, would drive them away, if found in the same territory.  For this reason, we released her in the Upper Peninsula, on one of our trips north to monitor peregrine falcons in early spring.  The release area has been known to have no Great Horned Owls.

She flew into the wind in the mist from the top of the cliff at Lake of the Clouds.  From there, she could locate the valley where the habitat was right for her.

By the next day, the mist had cleared and the ice had melted away.  The east end of  Lake of the Clouds, a remote valley at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park may be her new home.