12 March 2025
Almost two weeks ago this 6-week-old great horned owlet fell 100 feet from her nest on the Panther Hollow Bridge and was rescued and taken to Tamarack Wildlife Center. Tamarack determined her injuries were so minor that she was ready for release quite soon. But where to take her? Her birth-nest is inaccessible.
She needed to be in a foster family with siblings her age but she is older than other known nestlings in western PA. (Her parents nest really early.) In the end the best choice was to return her to her parents by placing her in a temporary nest near the bridge.
Yesterday she went home with help from Tamarack Wildlife Center, City of Pittsburgh Forestry and Pittsburgh Park Rangers. Her adventure is documented in these photos by Dana Nesiti.
First, her temporary nest was placed 20-30 feet up in a tree within sight and sound of her parents. Then George DeSavage of City Forestry received her from Tamarack staff.
As a parting shot she bite the gloved finger of her Tamarack handler. Fortunately those gloves are very thick.
Then she rode in the bucket truck to her temporary nest …
… and settled in.
She is just the right age to begin “branching” — walking off the nest — so her parents will not be surprised to hear her away from the birth-nest. When she wakes up hungry she will make begging calls like this and her parents will bring her food.
Tamarack explains:
Over the next 3-4 weeks, she will practice perching, hopping, flapping and short flights before being fully able to fly at around age 9 weeks.
Great Horned Owls spend more time with their young than any other owl species in Pennsylvania. Six months or more are spent supporting their young and teaching them hunting skills, before encouraging their young to disperse in the fall.
— Tamarack Wildlife Center Facebook pAGE
Read more about her adventure in the Post-Gazette Great horned owl named Muppet, rehabbed after 100-foot fall, returned to Schenley Park.
Follow Tamarack Wildlife Center on Facebook where they mention how to help them rehab wildlife.
If you would like to contribute and to be part of making this and other treatments and reunions possible, check out www.tamarackwildlife.org
— Tamarack Wildlife Center Facebook pAGE
Thank you for the happy news!
yay!! did they take the opportunity to band her??
In the photos it looks like she’s not banded. That could be because she’s still growing and would outgrow the bands.
Wow- i live minutes away
Thanks for reporting on this important and loving work.
Kate – Any news on the Owlet returned to Schenley Park. Have her parents discovered her and are they feeding her. Thanks for any info.
Ev, on the owlet’s first night at home she walked down one of the tree branches until she was about 10 feet above the ground and spent the day there like a statue. That evening someone knowledgable about young owls heard her making the begging call and both her parents answering. That night she walked down to the ground and found a sheltered cliff ledge to spend the day. In photos it looked like she was on the ground and easily accessible but she was very high up. Someone from Tamarack Wildlife Center came down from Crawford County to check on her and said she looked good (i.e. fed) and was doing all the normal appropriate things for an owl her age.