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February 22, 2001 - A great horned owl in great need`' hes • February 22, 2001 eat eat need ABOUT 6:30 P.M. ONE COLD evening a call came from a lady in Orient who had found a "big owl" by the side of the road that had been injured. "Could you come help ?" This could be one of two big owls: a great horned owl or our unusual winter visitor, the beautiful snowy owl that, by the way, had previously been reported at Cedar Beach in November. That's pretty early for snowy owls but then it seems there's always the exception. My feeling was our injured owl would probably turn out to be the "tiger of the night," the great horned owl. After a quick review of where t e owl was and how to get there, Barbara and I were off with a net, an old blanket and, most important, gloves for capturing the owl, as we were well aware of the potential dan- ger from thrashing talons, especially on a frightened bird. In 20 minutes we were at the site, and there waiting for us was a group of very concerned res- cuers. They had stood guard by their injured owl until we arrived. As we approached the group, they used a flashlight to show us the tragedy. I looked and looked but couldn't see what they were pointing at. All I saw was rough grass stubble and the recent collection of fallen leaves. "It's right there," they kept saying. Then as I approached the spot where their lights were pointing, I saw a large yellow eye. It was the eye of a great horned owl. Slowly I started to recognize the familiar shape and color of the owl, but the head was in a grotesque, upside -down position. . The rest of its body seemed perfect. Evidently the owl was out on a nightly hunting patrol when it flew into the light wire that went along the road- way, Was the neck broken? There was orned owl in Suffolk I Imes photos Dy baroara oruutui wu, yi Concerned citizens from Browns Hills in Orient called one night about a "big owl" that had evidently injured itself while out hunting. It looked pretty bad, as you can tell from the upside -down position of the head. Our only hope was to take it to the North Fork Animal Hospital. n y one thing to do and that was to et it to a vet and hopefully they ould help. Of course all offices were closed, iut we'd worry about that later. Right hen we were more concerned with )icking up the frightened, badly n'ured owl without eg tting mauled by those powerful claws. They're powerful enough to pick up any kind of rodent or a full -grown rab- bit or, on rare occasions, even your pet cat. First we'd capture it with our big net. Then we'd cover it with the blanket we'd brought along for just such a undling operation. Once the combination net and blanket were in place, we were ready to travel, and guess who got the job of holding the precarious cargo! Barbara, We thanked the ladies for their con - ,-Prn fir the mewl and headed west toward the North Fork Animal Hospital just outside of Southold. Occasionally, as we drove along, I'd hear from Barbara in the back seat about how strong the owl was as she held on to her precious patient. Evidently it was not too happy with our means of containing it. When we got to the North Fork Animal Hospital .t was closed but that didn't deter us. We knocked on the door and soon found Sue, the office manager, and with her help transferred the owl from the car into a warm recuperating cage. Unraveled from its net and blanket, it looked pretty sad. Its head, with hose big bright yellow eyes, was still pside -down. We wondered what its hances of recovery would be. Only ime would tell. So with hope in our earts we turned and left. We'd call ext morning to check on its condi- We did call the next morning and found the head was still upside -down but the good news was the owl was still alive and standing on its perch. We called a few days later and there was still no change. It was being force -fed and not eating on its own. There was a slight improvement in the position of the head. For weeks Dr. Pisciotta and his staff gave the owl the best of care and then it was transferred to a wildlife rehabilitator. Speaking of owls, Ray Dobbins, head of Orient Beach State Park, reported this week that just past the buildings heading west in the park a great horned owl has again nested on the osprey plat- form out in the meadows on the right. Deer are hardly a rarity here on the East End. We have One of the three bucks that visited our bird feeder during the night in December. _ Sightings of "a Dig DUCK witn large antlers," "a white deer in Bayview," and we even just had six deer right in our driveway. Then we heard about the lady who had the unpleasant expe rience of having the antlers of a buck she hit crash through her windshield, only to find out when she went to the repair shop there were seven other cars being repaired that had tangled with deer. And so, with all the above stories about deer, let me add one last tale to the collection. It happened during one of the snowstorms we had this winter. The prediction was for snow to arrive sometime between 4 and 7 o'clock in the morning. Barbara and I watched television that night and then closed the curtains and went to bed. The next morning Barbara got up with the expectation of snow and, sure enough, when she pulled the curtains back a wonder world of white was forming outside. As she watched the falling snow slip caught a movement just at the base of the huge rho-,, dodendron ho- dodendron bush outside the picture window. It was a young deer. She promptly called me and we both watched as this half -grown deer sniffed at the newfallen snow. Then we saw another slight move- ment nearby. Half hidden under the rhododendron was its twin, whose ear twitched as the snow fell. What we think had happened was that both of the young deer had taken shelter from the snow under the rhododendron alongside the house and when Barbara pulled the curtain open she startled one and it stood up. That's what we lwere seeing. Our theory proved cor- rect, for in a few minutes the standing deer folded its front legs and sank back down under the rhododendron. They were but 10 feet from the house. We slowly and quietly withdrew from 1 recognized the familiar shape and color of the owl, but the head was in a grotesque, upside- down position. storm to paint everything white. Every once in a while we'd sneak Eack to take a peek at the twins that were now slowly disappearing as the snow blended in with the world around them. Later it was almost impossible to recognize where they were. We had witnessed one of nature's seldom -seen events, one that makes our East End such a unique place to live. The other night Barbara thought she heard footsteps outside our bed- room window and got up to investi- gate. As usual I heard nothing and kept on sleeping. The first I knew of the mysterious night prowlers was when I was quietly awakened by Barbara in whispering tones, "Get up, there's something I want to show you." Half asleep, I followed her down the hallway, not too excited about her midni ht adventure. She led me into the living room to the closed curtains. "Look," she said qui- etly as she slowly part- ed the curtains. The frozen white snow gave the whole outside world a new nighttime brightness and there, standing not 20 feet away and directly un er our hanging bird feed- er, was a buck with large antlers. Was it a coincidence it was standing there, or was it helping itself to our bird- seed? Time would tell as we watched and, sure enough, it was helping itself to a late- evening snack of sunflower seeds. As we watched, two more bucks with antlers strolled casually into view. All gathered around the bird feeder. No little ones, no does, just three bucks. We couldn't believe our eyes. As we watched in amazement for 10 or 15 minutes, the deer seemed to be enjoying themselves. Enough was enough. We'd scare them away from our feathered friends' breakfast by turning on the patio floodlight. On it went with hardly a look up from the three deer. Now we could plainly see their polished horns. They stayed another 15 or 20 minutes and then all three slowly drifted off into the night. Snack time was over.