From The Raptor Center

In early October, TRC received a call about a barred owl found tangled in fishing line, dangling from a tree over a river in Miltona, MN. The owl arrived at TRC's raptor hospital with fishing line wrapped around its outer wing, severely damaging the feathers. Our veterinary staff also found small cuts to the wrist of the wing that had been entangled.

Luckily, the fishing line had no hook attached, and only the patient's feathers were tangled in the line. Broken parts of the feathers were trimmed and replaced by "imping." This technique involves joining the shaft of a broken flight feather to a compatible "donor feather" collected from a bird that did not survive or a feather that was molted.

When fishing line or sports netting wraps around a bird's body, severe and sometimes irreparable damage to muscle and other tissues can result. Packing away tackle when you are done fishing is an important way to prevent these sorts of injuries to wildlife.

We're happy to say that after 12 days in TRC's raptor hospital for wound care and pain medications, this barred owl was released back to its recovery location. The owl's releaser, TRC rescue/transport and dispatch volunteer Kris, said the bird wasted no time flying out of the carrier, too fast for her to get a release video! But she was able to snap this beautiful photo soon after of the owl healed, free, and back home, high in the trees. (Photo credit: Kris Reiman)