Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday. But there’s just one problem: Owls don’t know how to turn the clocks back.
Update, 11/2/18: Our little screech owl friend appears to be feeling much better! And it turns out she is likely a female, so I have updated the story. Thanks to Owl Moon Raptor Center, she is receiving treatment for her concussion and her pain. I’ll provide more information as we receive it. Thanks to everyone for caring and for spreading the word!
Update, 11/17/18: She’s back where she belongs, after a successful release into my neighbor’s tree-filled habitat. See below for details.
She was in the same spot where my husband had left her, still stunned but alert enough to move her head and look us straight in the eye. A casualty of suburbia’s most dangerous predators—speeding vehicles—the little Eastern screech owl probably still wondered what had hit her.
Just a few minutes before on Halloween morning, Will had been jogging through the neighborhood when he spotted the bird. Curled up in the road, the owl would surely have been hit again soon enough, especially in the increasingly low-light conditions of autumn. As nights grow longer and mornings darker, cities and suburbs become even more perilous for nocturnal creatures. Humans remain stubbornly stuck to our arbitrary clocks, while these animals continue to follow their natural rhythms, foraging and hunting until daylight.
After placing the owl under a tree and out of harm’s way, Will ran back home to retrieve basic equipment—a box, gloves, hand towels—and a little help from me. When we returned to the tree, the owl was mostly immobile and didn’t try to flee from us at all. It was 39 degrees outside, much too cold for an animal who can’t move. “You should bring her in,” said Suzanne Shoemaker, who’d picked up the phone on the first ring when I called her organization, Owl Moon Raptor Center in Boyds, Md.
Suzanne was so helpful and welcoming that I already felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Wildlife rehabilitators are few and far between in my area, and they are often at capacity. Owl Moon is about an hour away, but I knew it would be worth the drive. First I just needed to make sure our tiny friend was as comfortable and safe as possible. After poking holes in a large shoebox for ventilation and lining the box with towels, Will and I put the owl in the box and placed the precious cargo on the floor of the back seat of my well-heated car. I peeked once to make sure the owl was settling in and found her hiding in the corner. Then we added a little piece of duct tape to hold the lid in place.
When I arrived at Owl Moon, Suzanne and I went to her triage area, where she weighed her newest patient in at 168 grams (about a third of a pound) and examined her for signs of broken bones, fractures, eye injuries, and bleeding. Though she found none, the owl was clearly not feeling well, barely opening her eyes anymore and not even slightly protesting. “It’s a good thing you found her when you did,” Suzanne said. “A lot of times we don’t get them until they’ve been down for a long time, and they’re really emaciated and dehydrated, and there’s not much we can do.”
Suzanne asked if I wanted to help administer fluids and then placed the owl on a towel in my lap. My job was to hold her back legs away from each other so she could reach the injection sites. As the electrolytes coursed into the owl’s veins, I thought I heard the faintest burbling sounds. Suzanne and I joked it was our stomachs, but then I heard it again … and again … and again. To me it sounded like the faintest version of an owl trill—something much sweeter than the noises that typically come out of my angry belly.
“It’s dark earlier, and the owls are out during the traffic. And we get a huge uptick as soon as the clocks turn back.”—Suzanne Shoemaker, Owl Moon Raptor Center
More exams would come later, including a closer look at the eyes, which in owls extend further back than their ears, Suzanne explained, “so it takes up more space in their heads than their brain does. Every time they get head trauma, they almost always get eye injuries too.”
The owl was not out of the woods yet, but at least she was out of the road. Unfortunately, there will be many more victims of drivers going too fast and too carelessly. “It’s dark earlier, and the owls are out during the traffic,” says Suzanne. “And we get a huge uptick as soon as the clocks turn back.”
A Happy Ending: After more than two weeks of care, our little owl was ready to return home and making quite a racket inside her carrier. Opening the flap with volunteer and apprentice rehabber Sherrie Musick, I was amazed to see her huge eyes; her whole aspect had changed since the last time we saw her. She was no longer stunned and scared and trying to hide; she looked beautiful and fierce and ready to take on the world. I had little time to admire her, though. Suddenly I felt a breeze on my face, the wind trailing in the wake of her powerful wings, and she was gone, up into the trees at my neighbor’s house.
For more information …
Driving Safely: Mindful driving is key to protecting wildlife, who often find much-needed habitat in the spaces between development and roads. Read practical tips for keeping a watchful eye—and learn what to do (and not do) when you see an animal in danger—in “Roadside Assistance.”
Seasonal Deer Tips: It’s mating season for deer, so be especially careful. This article from the the Wild Neighbors program at the Humane Society of the United States, “How to Avoid Vehicular Collisions with Deer,” can help you navigate the increased activity more safely.
Working with Wildlife Rehabilitators: If you find a wild animal who appears injured or otherwise in distress, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for assistance in determining whether and how to help. In Maryland, where I live, other organizations I support include Second Chance Wildlife Center in Gaithersburg and City Wildlife in Washington, D.C.; the Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers an online menu of contacts throughout the state. For help elsewhere, check out the HSUS’s “How to Find a Wildlife Rehabilitator” page or the website of your state natural resources agency.
(Photos by Nancy Lawson and Will Heinz)
What a sad consequence of turning the clocks back. I do wish people would drive more mindfully and carefully. Thank you for the information and links.
Hi Carol – thanks for reading. I wish so, too. It’s bad even during the day but so much worse here at night. We live on a country road that people treat like a highway, even the school buses!
Thank you for all the information and links
Did he live ? (The owl)
Hi Roberta, thanks for reading! I am waiting for an update — this was just yesterday, and Suzanne had said it might take a while. It depends on the extent of his injuries and whether they find anything else. Sometimes they find things that are not immediately apparent, like bleeding in the brain or eye damage that needs to be treated. But I am crossing my fingers and will provide an update when I find out!
Fingers crossed he makes a full recovery! Please do let us know.
Thanks, Janet! I received an update from Owl Moon! Our little “guy” is likely a gal — they look the same, but I think females are a little larger. And she is doing much better! She is being treated for pain for her concussion and will have an eye exam and vet exam next week, but so far her vision looks to be OK. So Suzanne is hopeful about the possibilities of releasing her. Yay!
That just makes my day! Thank you so much, Nancy!
Hurrah for Will for seeing and stopping to help! It seems like many animals are on the move in recent weeks by the increase of little bodies I’ve seen on the roadside, especially at points near bridges and the edges of woods. Its just good practice to gradually slow down a bit and be extra aware when you go by these as you never know who’s coming out.
Hi Eric! It’s been tough to see that — I always see lots of animals who’ve been hit, but it’s definitely been more deer and squirrels lately, plus a fox and a raccoon I saw this past week. 🙁 This is something so many people just don’t think about, and I’m afraid that when they do hit something, some people think of it as normal, rather than understanding there are things we can do to help prevent it — not always, but a lot of the time.
Hi Nancy. You guys are the best! Let’s hope our friend can recover. Here people drive fast, too. Why are we always in a hurry? It doesn’t make any sense. I’ll remind my podcast listeners to respect speed limits. It’s a good time to do so because many folks go away on weekends as it’s springtime in the South hemisphere now.
Thanks, Soledad! It really doesn’t make sense. We make unnecessary stress for ourselves that then bleeds out to other creatures. Thanks for reminding your listeners! Yes, springtime has a lot of the same issues.
Good on Will — yet again!
Note to all: this little guy was hit just before the 20mph sign on the corner of my property (Will & Nancy seem to be the only 2 people who actually heed it). If people would slow down a bit this would likely not have happened. So please, slow down, take time to smell the roses, to see what’s around you. This could just as easily have been a kid waiting for the school bus. Get out of your work-a-day bubbles, turn off your mobiles, appreciate the life around you, and for your own sake, as well as that of the local wildlife as well as other people, pay attention.
Thanks, Wayne. Yes, Will is a good one, isn’t he? 🙂 He takes in every detail. I always think he missed one of his callings – to work with animals – because he is so gentle that they seem to sense that. Thank you for reminding people – we need to get the word out! And yes, I see the kiddos standing there at a couple of houses near you in the morning; they are imperiled by crazy driving, too (though I think one of the crazy drivers is the school bus that picks them up).
I hope your sweet owl friend pulls through! And wow, 1/3 of a lb!
Hi Misti! I know, so tiny!!! Last I heard, she is doing well and probably on the mend! 🙂
Praying that this sweet little owl will have a complete recovery! Thank goodness for you, Will, and the Owl Moon Raptor Center. I also wanted to share a link to Columbia-based “All Creatures Great & Small Wildlife Center” (https://www.allcreaturesgreatandsmallwildlifecenter.org/). I took several injured creatures there when I lived in Maryland, and Judy was wonderful! Always good to have a few wildlife-rehab numbers on hand in case of emergency!
I just made a donation to All Creatures because of your post, Shella. Thank you!
Janet, that is awesome! I know Judy and her team appreciate it, and I’m happy to have been the catalyst! 🙂
You’re very welcome, and I didn’t have my reading glasses on so read your name wrong! 🙂
Thank you so much, Sheila! I’m so happy to know this — they look great and are definitely within driving distance for me, too. I will put them on my list!
Such a great reminder for everyone. Thank you!
This is something so many people just don’t think about, and I’m afraid that when they do hit something, some people think of it as normal, rather than understanding there are things we can do to help prevent it . keep posting like this.
Hi Nancy, great article! I am a wildlife rehabilitator in NY and currently have a number of hit by car owls in, including a little red screech. There is another very valuable service available for anyone finding wildlife: Animal Help Now (ahnow.org) they have an app or you can go to their website; click on wildlife issue, acknowledge the warning about handling wildlife and a list of local rehabilitators will populate. It works anywhere in the US! I have used it myself when traveling. Thanks for saving this wee little owl, it always amazes me that they survive the impact. It certainly wouldn’t have made it much longer without the aid you and your husband provided.
Hi Trish, thanks so much, and thank you for doing what you do! Wow, that app looks really helpful — it’s so needed. I’ll let people know about it when I share this post again!