The Red Screech Owl & Nancy Benson
By Ellen Kalish
On November 14th 2008, Nancy was walking in the neighborhood, a route she and her dog often traveled when she came across a small owl on the side of the road. 
It seemed the owl had been hit by a car and was in shock. She stared at it for what seemed to be 15 minutes and as she talked to it, the owl opened its eyes to follow her movements. She ran home and called Ravensbeard Wildlife Center to get some information as to how to catch and transport the owl. Nancy then put the little bundle of fluff in a container and quickly brought it over for rehabilitation.
The scared little owl stood frozen in the box while I scooped her out to examine her. One eye was swollen shut and the other closed; how do you get an owl to open its eyes I thought. During the full examination she never opened her eyes, I almost thought she was dead but when I turned her on her back she put out her wings to right herself…. Now I knew she was breathing. I have never experienced this type of reaction before; usually they fight for their life, so at this point I knew she was different. After palpating her entire body she seemed to be totally aligned with no fractures. That is always the best prognosis…. nothing broken.
I rinsed the eye and proceeded to give her Arnica for shock and head trauma. She rested for the night…the next day I offered her a thawed frozen mouse but she wouldn’t eat. I cut it up for her, she still wouldn’t eat, I then offered her a mouse of a different color and she still wouldn’t eat. Two days for a little bird is too long to go without food so I had no choice but to force-feed her.
She swallowed like a little frog closing both eyes for each piece that went down. 
It wasn’t fun but she needed the nutrients. In most cases, the day after the feeding they “get it” and start to self-feed but not her, she was still on a hunger strike. This went on for 4 days until finally I had a brainstorm….. I should offer her live mice. Well within 30 seconds I heard a pounce and a squeak and immediately knew this is what she wanted….pretty picky for the condition she was in!! She ate live mice like a queen until she fully recovered.
On December 3rd we, (the owl and I) took a quiet ride to Nancy’s house, she got in my car and we drove to the exact spot where the owl was found. I pulled into the driveway and parked, I took her out of the carrier to steady her before placing her down, Nancy took a few photos and we proceeded to release our well-recovered bundle of love. Once on the ground she looked at us… looked away and quickly preceded to fly towards the woods. Within seconds she was gone; silent, we paused in the memory…I saw Nancy had tears in her eyes; she was apologetic for her emotions.
Nancy then explained that she always walked this road with her Golden Retriever but three days before Thanksgiving her dog died of old age, in-between the time she rescued the owl and the release. The release was “a healing experience… and was a gift of life and health” she said. She called the owl a “little angel… an affirmation that life goes on”…. each day there are blessings that are sent to us…. they sometimes go unnoticed but sometimes, we take the time…to relish in them.
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