Baby owl returned to nest in Richfield

A baby owl who had been injured after an apparent fall in Richfield has been reunited with its family.

Patient 25-159 of the Raptor Center, a baby great-horned owl, was brought back to its nest at the Wood Lake Nature Center on Wednesday.

According to the Raptor Center, the owlet was found on the ground where it appeared to have fallen from a tree several days prior. A sibling was spotted in a nearby nest, as well as a parent who was perched nearby.

The owlet was taken to the Raptor Center, where they found a fracture in the bird’s right ulna, which was able to be healed within days, allowing patient 25-159 to be brought back to the nest.

“Baby season is kicking into high gear with TRC admitting more than 20 young great horned owls already,” the Raptor Center said in a statement. “As these little ones get stronger and curious about the world beyond their nest, they sometimes take a tumble. They grow from nestlings to ‘branchers’ — raptors old enough to hop out of their nest and begin exploring despite their flight feathers not having fully developed yet. They perch on branches while still being cared for by their parents.”

The Raptor Center says their hospital typically sees a number of these branchers become patients around spring. The center says it is important that baby raptors return to a nest quickly because their parents can best teach them all they need to know to survive in the wild.