Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Eastern Screech Owl

This mighty owl is no match for garden netting…

Eastern screech owls may not be the biggest or strongest owl, but they are masters of hiding! More often heard than seen, these 6 inch raptors are common in our forested areas. Unfortunately, this patient was seen, tangled in garden netting.

This patient is a gray morph Eastern screech owl (the same species as a red morph Eastern screech owl, like our ambassador, Dopey!). On intake, this owl was extremely lethargic and had difficulty standing, but luckily had not sustained any major injuries except constriction injuries around the neck. If you happen to find an entangled animal, please do not try to pull it out as this can cause further damage. The netting should be cut with wide margins around the animal and the victim, still entangled, can then be transported to a rehabilitator for safe removal. And as always, if you have any concerns, give us (or your closest permitted rehabilitator) a call!

After just over 24 hours in care, this patient is already feeling much better and is even perching.

The overwhelming majority of our garden netting cases are snakes, but this material also entraps birds, bats, and other wildlife. There are many safer alternatives such as stiff, wire fencing or much finer mesh aimed at keeping insects out. We strongly encourage you to replace your garden netting with one of these options. When disposing of garden netting, never leave it out in a pile or tucked away in a shed or garage— instead secure the netting in a sealable bag or bin before placing it in the trash so that other animals cannot get entangled. Most of our patients with garden netting wounds were stuck in netting that wasn’t even in use at the time!

In 2022, we took in a record-breaking (at the time) number of animals—3,406 patients entered our doors for care. This red-tailed hawk (suspected vehicle collision) is our 3,500 patient this year!

Raptors and their care costs significantly more than smaller birds with similar injuries. Between food, medications, anesthetics, bandaging materials, diagnostics, and other care, an injured raptor could cost us approximately $500—$1,000 per week. These are just some of the free veterinary and rehabilitative services available to ALL of our patients and it is all thanks to the generous support of our donors and community members.

Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement that encourages people to do good during the season of giving thanks. This year, our Giving Tuesday campaign will focus on the incredible resources it takes to give our ever-growing number of patients the best possible care.

Wildlife Centers don’t receive state or Federal funding for what we do. We rely on your donations to save wild animals and return them to the wild. Help give back to our native wildlife by planning to give on Giving Tuesday, November 28th, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving!

Looking for an easy way to help native wildlife? Become a monthly BRWC donor! For as little as $5/month, you can provide year-round, sustainable support that helps us fulfill our mission.