It took only a few short hours for Kim Literovich to become attached to a fine feathered friend.
She and her husband Ron spotted a barred owl along the side of Highway 11 west, lying in a snow bank Tuesday morning near Brown’s Corner.
They returned to the owl, to find that its leg was injured. Ron wrapped the injured bird in a blanket they had in the vehicle, and they brought the owl to the Rainy River Veterinary Hospital. Because the hospital does not specialize in wild animals, there was little that could be done for the bird in International Falls.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to rescue it,” Kim said. It was evident that she had grown very attached to the owl in the few short hours it was in her care. The Literoviches don’t have any other pets and this is the first time they had taken to helping an injured animal.
Kim held the bird for about three hours, while waiting in the vet’s office for tests and for the bird to be stabilized. “Nothing compares to that,” she said, noting it was her privilege to hold an owl, which many people will never even see up close.
The owl was placed in a blanket-lined box, where it was warm and kept from the light. The box would be used to transport it to a place where it would have the best chance at getting help.
The Literoviches were connected to The Raptor Center, part of the veterinary medicine program at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. If they could get the bird to the Twin Cities, staff at The Raptor Center would be the best resource for the bird. X-rays, taken from the Falls veterinarian, were sent along with the injured owl.
A pilot happened to be flying from the International Falls airport to the Twin Cities Tuesday afternoon The Literoviches convinced the pilot to take the extra passenger south.
Pilot Thomas Bailey said he likes birds, too, and was happy to have the owl on board for the trip to Minneapolis. The box carrying the injured owl was strapped into the plane, which was also carrying a business traveler back to the cities.
“The Raptor Center does amazing stuff,” boasted Kim.
And although the raptor made it to the center, injuries to its legs were beyond repair, reported Julia Ponder, veterinarian and executive director of the center. The bird was euthanized later Tuesday at the center.
The Raptor Center receives between 700 and 800 birds each year, of which about half are eventually released, Ponder estimated. Birds are taken in from a five-state area, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Established in 1974, The Raptor Center specializes in the medical care, rehabilitation, conservation, and study of eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons.
The center depends on community support, both in the form of helping to save the animals as well as financial donations to keep the center running. Most of the injured animals come from people like the Literoviches, who rescue birds and bring them to the center. Other animals are rescued by the Department of Natural Resources and other agencies charged with wildlife efforts.
Barred Owls
Description: Medium-sized, gray-brown, streaked with white horizontal barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. Round-headed with a whitish/brown facial disk with dark brown trim.
Length: 16-25 inches; wingspan 38-50 inches; weight: 17.5-37 ounces.
Habits: Nocturnal, hides in dense foliage during the day, usually high up. May also roost on a branch close to a broad tree-trunk, or in a natural tree hole. May be very aggressive when defending a nest.
Voice: Highly vocal, giving a loud and resounding "hoo, hoo, too-HOO; hoo, hoo, too-HOO, ooo.”
Hunting and food: Can sometimes be seen hunting before dark. Will use a perch, from where it dives upon its prey — meadow voles are its main prey, followed by shrews and deer mice.
Distribution: Widespread in North America, they occur across most of the eastern half of the continent from Florida to southern Canada.
Information from www.TheOwlPages.com.
