Saving a Barred Owl Owlet
Our early morning kayak at Crooked River took a heartbreaking turn as we made our way towards Palatlakaha River Boat Ramp. This was not where we launched, but along the way, where we paused to watch a mother Barred Owl hunt for her two owlets. One sibling took flight to a nearby perch toward the mom owl, the second tried to follow and became tangled in discarded fishing line and a hook high in a cypress tree.
The next hour was so frustrating. I spent three calls fighting through automated systems at the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), only to be told they don’t rescue raptors. They gave us a contact to reach out, which also ended up telling us they can't help. I used google and ended up coordinating with Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, while awaiting their rescue team.
What was most disheartening was the "bystander effect." Countless boaters passed us to start their weekend festivities. They offered "poor baby" comments, but not a single person stopped to help. We considered kayaking back to the launch and driving home for a ladder, but with the owlet struggling, we didn’t have a second to waste and it would have been too late. We were stuck, watching and waiting. Thankfully, our friend Oleg answered the call. He rushed over with a ladder and we began the rescue operation. At the same time, a great group from Blue Hike Paddle Tours with Oakland Nature Preserve paddled by. Unlike the others, these folks dismounted their kayaks and stayed to help hold the ladder steady. It was a team effort, Oleg and Vlad climbed up. Oleg then carefully passed the owlet down to Vlad. Once back down, they finally cut the line and removed the hook. To our relief, the owlet was strong enough to fly to a nearby perch and reunite with his mother and sibling. We stayed for a while, watching to make sure he was steady, alert, and moving normal. Owlet was able to perch securely, stay balanced and showed no signs of injury. What’s truly sickening is that something like discarded fishing line nearly cost him his life...
We headed back to Crooked River following morning and found the owlets snuggled up together. Locating them was no easy task. The area is under a heavy canopy of cypress trees draped in Spanish moss and resurrection ferns. The shoreline is thick with sawgrass and overhanging live oaks. Owlets blend in perfectly! We heard them before we saw them! The owlets make a distinct, high-pitched hissing sound when their mom isn't nearby. This vocalization allows the adult owl to locate them easily in the dense canopy and is owlets way of signaling for care. The pair seemed sleepy this morning and have successfully flown a bit further into the canopy. For the rescued owlet to gain that distance from yesterday’s rescue spot is a huge win! We’re estimating they are around 8–10 weeks old now. By roughly 12 weeks, they generally master sustained flight and begin learning to hunt.
Sadly, we’re still finding hazards. We managed to remove more discarded fishing line and a hook from a cypress tree, along with a handful of litter. Even in a beautiful preserve, human impact is everywhere... and especially when it comes to fishing line, it can last in the environment for up to 600 years. It's a death trap.
Owlets will likely remain in the area under their mother's care for another 2 to 4 months. I plan to head out on my kayak frequently to check on them and will share their journey here on the blog.
