82B - Short-eared Owl
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In Grand Teton National Park, we have many different owls that live here. Great Gray, Great Horned, Boreal, Northern Saw Whet, Pygmy. Short Eared, Long Eared, Barred and sometimes the barn owl is seen.
On August 2nd around 6:15 am, while on tour in Grand Teton National Park near the small town of Kelly, a short eared owl fluttered across our path while driving. I knew it was injured in some sort of way, possibly a collision with another vehicle.
I stop our vehicle, got out and walked over to the sage brush and captured the injured owl. I immediately called park dispatch and informed our Teton Raptor Center that I had this injured owl in my possesion.
Dispatch explained to me it was illegal to have this owl, but if I left it alone, the probability of it being found again by the Raptor Center was very low. So I held onto this owl and handed it over to Raptor Center personnel as they were kind enough to meet my tour group later in the morning to acquire this owl.
82B
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The Teton Raptor Center receives injured raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons) and owls frequently with the hope of rehabilitating the animal and setting it free again into the wilds at a later date, If the bird is unable to perform properly, it is not set free and is used for public awareness and educational purposes at the Raptor Center or transferred to another center somewhere in the country.
This owl, 82B, was aptly given this designation because it was the second injured bird received by the Raptor Center on August 2nd.
The Raptor Center rehabilitated 82B and had her in their possession for about eight months. Owl 82B was unable to fly normally and was not a candidate for reintroduction into the wilds. At that juncture, the center had far to many birds, so they found a center in western New York to care for owl 82B. This place was Wild Wings in Honeoye Falls, NY.
That center decided on naming her Kelly or Sage and finally chose the name Sage. That was a wonderful experience for myself and my clients, being able to be part of saving 82B from a most-likely difficult ending.
