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Thread: Our newest patient

  1. #1
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    Default Our newest patient

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    I LOVE OWLS! Period. You cannot get closer than this.

    This little Barn Owl was hit near my place. Luckily no breaks just a bruised head and chest. He has now been handed to a more specialist raptor carer. What a beautiful little bird, he was so soft and fluffy, almost cuddly quality. Truly. I was in awe.
    Note: The owl is the cute little one in the bottom right and he is NOT my twin! :D

    Check out his talons! He was trying to get me. :D

  2. #2
    Axel Hildebrandt
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    Good to hear the owl was not seriously injured. Are they going to release the bird?

  3. #3
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    If it survives the next few days and starts to eat, absolutely, why not? As long as the vet gives the all clear and it is able to fly. Sometimes, birds may not have a fracture but can have muscle tear or other soft tissue injury, that may prevent them from flying. I trust this fellow will be OK. I hope I (we) will have the honor of release, as it was only a mile from our house.

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    Akos, I sure hope all goes well for the little Barn Owl!!!

  5. #5
    BPN Member Kerry Perkins's Avatar
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    Ákos, that is really special! I'm sure you had a hard time letting this little fella go. Would love to hold one just one time!! Hope all turns out well for him.
    "It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson

    Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com


  6. #6
    Alfred Forns
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    What a pair !!! Hope the little guy makes it !!!!

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    Wishing your little owl well, Akos. You do good.

  8. #8
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    UPDATE:
    News just at hand

    Barnie is now perching and self feeding. Approx. 72 hours after his mishap. Always a promising sign, when they don't need to be force fed. :) Fingers crossed. :)

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    Great news. Let's hope you have the honor of releasing to the wild again soon. It is really cute.

  10. #10
    Randy Mays
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    So glad to hear promising news Akos! My wife will enjoy this shot. We still have the Barred owl. Part of his wing had to be amputated, but is doing much better now (Balance much better). I certainly enjoy being part of raptor recovery. I wish you and Barn owl well !
    Last edited by Randy Mays; 08-18-2009 at 03:37 PM.

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Hoping for a speedy recovery!
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  12. #12
    Gus Cobos
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    Hey Akos,
    I hope your little friend makes it...a gold medal to you Sir...:):cool:

  13. #13
    Co-Founder James Shadle's Avatar
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    "The owl is the cute little one in the bottom right and he is NOT my twin! :D"
    With those eyes I was not sure, thanks for clearing that up.

    Truly a beautiful creature(the owl).

    Thanks for sharing.

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    Hope the owl is doing fine. Good thing you were there to help. Pura Vida!

  15. #15
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    UPDATE:

    Owl is looking very well. Both eyes now open. Perching, eating. Release appears not far off. Hope to be there myself to document it. Not often do we get to release animals. But when we do, it's a heart-warming feeling indeed. Fingers crossed for this guy!

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    Akos, Sounds like great news.Hope you'll share the picture with all of us!!

  17. #17
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    We released the owl at 21:00 AEST yesterday. He was only too happy to fly off so fast I could not even take an image. But he is well and free back where he belongs. A happy ending. Sadly there are not that many happy endings this side of the planet.

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    Way to go Akos. Must be quite a feeling when you have a successful rehab back in to the wild.

  19. #19
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    It sure feels awesome Jackie! But last night I did also lose an adult Azure Kingfisher, a tiny Aussie species.

    On another note, the sad thing is that while I was photographing three Barn Owls the other night, I noted one had a badly broken leg (must have broken in the two days prior as I have earlier images showing a healthy bird) and it was just hanging, dangling by the skin. There is nothing I could do and if it comes to ground and taken in it would most likely be put to sleep. :(

  20. #20
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    Don't know if I could do this kind of work Akos. I guess you must count one success as a big victory and the possibility of more progeny.

  21. #21
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jackie Schuknecht View Post
    Don't know if I could do this kind of work Akos. I guess you must count one success as a big victory and the possibility of more progeny.
    There are a lot of shed tears, that's all I can tell you. About 20% or so release rate makes it worthwhile though. It is, however, very tough to see animals in pain. Here is a picture of a snapped leg of a smallish male Eastern Grey Kangaroo. Three of us went to rescue it after being hit by a car, yet we could not catch it as it would hop using its tail and good leg with the snapped right leg dangling. The damage was so bad that there was no chance of rehab. Could not find any way to capture, so we had to call in an RSPCA Inspector who shot it with a rifle. We had to create a 100-meter radius and block all traffic while she lined it up from the middle of the road. I will never forget the sound of the rifle firing and even people in the cars were teary. But we know the animal is better off dead than suffering. What is next? We get the next animal and do what we can to help it. Just two days ago I had a large parrot and a dove euthanased in my hands as I held them for the vet as they were beyond help. Sooner or later we get good ones. We now have three possums and three birds. One possum had a broken jaw that was wired together and also a torn ligament in the shoulder. At least a 3-6 month rehab job. And they eat a lot of fruit every day! I will post some nice pics soon to counteract this deathly aura. :)

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