Saturday, November 15, 2008

Chester's First Blog

Hello, Chester Owl here. I am a Great Horned Owl and this is my first blog. When my handler, Bev, asked me to do a blog I had no idea what she was talking about. (Of course she hardly knew either!) I said, “Blog? Is that what you clean out of my mew? I don’t know how to clean out my mew!” (You’re probably wondering what a new is. Well the word mew was used in England for a line of horse stalls. Yes, I know, I am not a horse. However, as time passed the mews were vacated. Then some smart person came up with remodeling the “mews” into one room apartment-like rentals. Then it just became a household word with people who had animals and they called their cages mews. Here is a picture of my mew.)




But then she explained it to me. I am supposed to let you know what Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release is all about, how to live with wildlife, some of my history and what our education program is all about. I thought, that might be fun! So I got to thinking and I guess I am just supposed to tell you what ever comes to mind.

I have been such a busy bird lately. My handler was worried about keeping me busy. Now she is singing a different tune! I have been to a summer camp, a few school rooms, to NCLT’s (Nevada County Land Trust) Pilot Peak event, the Nevada County Fair, a picnic for NCLT, a fundraiser for Wildlife Rehab at the Northridge Restaurant in Penn Valley, and a Harvest Festival at Loma Rica Ranch. And only in three months! Whew! I am a popular bird!

Everyone asks what kind of bird I am and why I can’t be released. Bev tells them all about me.

My story started almost three years ago in March of 2006. I was flying along hunting for food and “Bam!” I got stuck in barbed wire! Oooh did that hurt! My right wing got all tangled up and I flopped around and scratched my left eye. I hung there for a couple of days they told me. Then some nice gentleman came and helped me out and called Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release (we call it WR&R). WR&R cleaned me up and sent me to a veterinarian. I had a broken wing and my eye was infected. They sewed up my eye because it was so infected. Unfortunately when they opened my eye up again, my body had absorbed it. Apparently that is common in any body, if it doesn’t need it, the body absorbs it.

They told me I could be released with one eye. Well I knew that. I don’t need to see perfectly. I can hear perfectly. When I hunt I can hear almost like a grid and zone in on my food. I can sometimes hear things a mile away! Of course I need at least one eye to see and my other eye was in really good condition. But, and isn’t there always a “but”, my wing healed a little twisted and I couldn’t fly silently anymore. An owl can’t be safe if he can’t fly silently! He can’t hunt food without the food hearing him coming and he can’t stay away from predators that would want to harm him. My future didn’t look too good.

Then WR&R started to talk about me being an “Educational Ambassador”. Now that sounded important. I was excited. I even stood a little taller. An Ambassador. Wow!

WR&R is licensed by the California Fish & Game Dept. and the US Fish & Wildlife Dept. The US Fish & Wildlife Dept. is the one that regulates birds. That is because we can fly from one state to another. The nice lady named Tami at the US Fish & Wildlife Dept. told WR&R how to apply for an educational license for me. So now I have a good home with Bev and WR&R.

WR&R is run by all volunteers. That means any donations that come in are used mostly for care and rehabilitation for injured and orphaned wildlife. Bev says it is 93% that goes to the wildlife! So send your donations to Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release, PO Box 868, Penn Valley, CA, 95946. It will provide medicine and pay for veterinary care for injured and orphaned wildlife as well as food. And, it will help keep me in mice – yep, I love ‘em! Bev gives me about three a day and sometimes a gopher for a special treat! But, more of that next time.

By the way, if you write “Chester” on your check memo, then I’ll know you heard about WR&R from me. It will make me proud!

Well I guess that is all for now. My feet hurt trying to hit these tiny little letters on the keyboard. Bev helps me but I am a little clumsy.

So I will be back next week with some more information. Bye for now!


Chester
The Great Horned Owl

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