Actually, there was cheating involved. On return from Menominee, Wisconsin after picking up a very large female eagle retrieved from the DNR, the Raptor Center called and asked if I knew the whereabouts of Willow River Wildlife Refuge. Kent had once introduced me to Willow River State Park just east of Hudson, so of course I said, "sure I know where that is," figuring I could look it up on the interweb.
"Since it's on your way back, do you think you'd have time to search for a Great Horned Owl reported just now? The caller said he saw it this morning, and is sending me a map as to its location. I can send it to you by text."
I wondered why they thought it would still be in the same place after all that time. It must have been very injured. Later I learned we were after a baby GHOW, not an adult.
This is the map that was sent by text:
From this, I could find an intersection, but the trail map was a bit vague, not to mention too hard to read on my cell phone. Fortunately, the Center gave me the hikers phone number. He helped give me a better sense of where to start. Finding the small parking lot marking the beginning of the hiking trail, I followed it per his instructions. There were trails running everywhere. Snowmobile trails, hiking trails, deer trails, imaginary trails (the kind that terminate in a thick stand of buckthorn trees). Finally, I found the trail he had walked that morning, but not the bird. He had suggested it was about 50 feet from the main trail, so I started there and walked circles around the point at an increasing radius. After ten minutes of circling, I heard the characteristic squeak of a baby owl. He sat under some brush, just next to some pellets, evidence that his mother had been around, keeping him fed.
After sending pictures to the Center, they decided he was healthy enough to leave in the forest if we built a new nest for him. My mentor, Jim Johnston, came out with a wire basket nest he makes at home, mounting it to a nearby tree. It all made for a great hike in the woods with a successful search and rescue.
There are times I question if all the investment into interfering with nature to rescue these birds is worth it, now that they are more prolific. While I can't answer that question, I can confirm that finding and helping them sure is a fun and personally rewarding version of hunting.
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