This young Eastern Screech Owls first flight didn’t go so smoothly and he ended up in a pond. Luckily, he was able to be rescued before drowning. His rescuers dried him off, warmed him back up, and then brought him into our care. We are currently treating him with antibiotics in case he has gotten water in his lungs.
Young screech owls leave the nest at about four weeks old, but they cannot fly yet. During this “branching” stage, they climb trees using their beaks and talons. They spend two to three days flapping their wings on branches before making their first short flights.
At 4 weeks: Owlets are fully feathered but cannot fly. They leave the nest cavity to perch on nearby branches, where both parents will continue to feed them.
At 4-5 weeks: After a few days of building muscle and practicing wing flaps, they can make short flights of up to 30 feet.
At 6 weeks: The young owls can generally keep pace with their parents and begin attempting to hunt for insects.
At 8 to 10 weeks: The fledglings are highly proficient flyers and are largely independent.
Our new patient is within the ‘First Flights’ stage of development. Within the next few weeks he will be a proficient flyer, but he’s not there quite yet. This little one is lucky to be alive thanks to his quick acting rescuers.
I did what I did and I’d do it again, Senator. If loving a pond is wrong, then throw me in jail!
If only its gills had been a bit more developed first… 😜