Two snowy owls in distress rescued

Two snowy owls in distress, one in Eastport and one in Baileyville, were rescued the week of November 22 and taken to an avian rehabilitation organization. So far one has survived and is on the mend and one has not.
Many in the Eastport area and beyond were touched by the beauty of a snowy owl captured on film by photographer Don Dunbar on November 21 as it perched on a seaweed-covered rock. However, on November 23 the owl was in severe distress and rescued by Sipayik fisherman Pos Bassett. "I was just coming back from working on my boat," he remembers. "As I was walking on the floats at the [Eastport] breakwater I saw two guys from the Coast Guard standing there." He wondered what was going on and then saw the owl between them and him. The U.S. Coast Guard Station Eastport men had tried to catch it, but it had flown into a boat's mast, he relates. "It looked injured." Bassett took off his hoodie and quickly put it over the owl and had it in his arms before it could react. "It felt really skinny." That was a surprise, because with all of its feathers fluffed it looked like it should have felt bigger, he notes.
The Coast Guard had been contacting area wildlife experts, and Bassett gave them a lobster crate in which to hold the owl until help arrived. Soon Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge biologist Maurry Mills had transport set up for the owl to go to the Maine based Avian Haven located in Freedom, one of the largest avian rehabilitation practices in New England. Another snowy owl, rescued in Baileyville, was taken to the facility for help on November 22.
Unfortunately, the Eastport based snowy owl did not make it through the night, reports Diane Winn, co founder and executive director of Avian Haven. Bassett's concern about its physical health was justified. It was emaciated, a situation that Winn's organization has seen in the five snowy owls admitted to the haven so far this winter.
"The steps taken with newly admitted snowy owls are the same as for any species," says Winn. "We do a physical exam, take X rays and do some simple, basic bloodwork. We assess body condition, look for wounds, diagnose fractures, etc. If the bird has a fracture that can be repaired, we proceed accordingly."
Of the five snowy owls taken to Avian Haven so far this winter season, one had two broken legs plus a broken wing. "Euthanasia was the only humane option," says Winn. "The others were uninjured but in varying degrees of emaciation. These birds go into an intensive care unit and are started on a protocol for recovery from starvation. That protocol begins with hydration and gradually progresses into tube feeding easy to digest liquid diets. Solid foods are sometimes not introduced until as much as a week into the process."
The Baileyville owl "is still with us," reported Winn on November 30. Warden Brad Richard had captured the owl with little difficulty, reporting that it could fly only short distances with minimal altitude. Avian Haven relies on volunteers with a passion to help, and this time Richard Spinney, a retired Coast Guard veteran living in Brewer, was the volunteer transporter who took the Baileyville owl down to the haven.
"Fortunately, the owl had no orthopedic injuries. But like other snowy owls admitted in the last couple of weeks, this individual's basic bloodwork was indicative of starvation and overall debilitation," says Winn. "She is not out of the woods yet, but so far she has responded positively to our emaciation protocol. After several days of being tube fed easy to digest liquid foods, we may be able to start her on small amounts of solid foods." On November 30, Winn shared the good news that the owl was accepting small amounts of hand held solid food. And on December 2, the owl was showing a good appetite, with 16 mice under her belt from December 1, and starting to gain weight. "She's not eating on her own yet, but readily accepts hand feeling," reports Winn. "In all, we are making progress."

Unpredictable nature of irruption
When snowy owls end up in Maine it means they have irrupted south from their Arctic tundra breeding grounds. The ProjectSNOWstorm group, which tracks snowy owl flight movement, explains that irruptions are not predictable but occur most often when owls have a banner year of egg clutches because of an abundance of food in their Arctic habitat. The larger than normal population of young owls then sets out on the move, resulting in some of the owls flying south every few years. Smaller irruptions happen about every five years, but much larger irruptions are known to happen about twice a century. The winter of 2013-14 saw such an irruption, with snowy owls seen as far south as Florida.
Most snowy owls heading south are healthy, explains ProjectSNOWstorm. When they're not, they will be emaciated, leading to weakness and collision with cars and other objects, or being easily captured and taken to a rehabilitation site. Survival at that point is rough going.
Avian Haven may only see one or two per winter. The last big winter in its practice was 2017?18, when it had nine birds in its care. Five of those birds survived and were released. "It's hard to define a 'normal' mortality rate for snowy owls," Winn says, but to see most result in death is not unusual. "In 2019 and in 2020, we admitted a total of four birds, two each year, and none of them survived." The fact that the Baileyville owl is holding her own is a positive development.
There are no definitive answers as to why the owls become emaciated. Avian Haven has seen similar trends in past years, of uninjured but emaciated snowy owls. "We do not necropsy the owls here; we send all deceased snowy owls to veterinarians working with ProjectSNOWstorm for necropsy. Some past results have turned up disease processes such as aspergillosis that weaken a bird to the point where hunting ability is compromised."
If the Baileyville owl makes it, she will be released in an environment rich in food sources. Winn says, "Snowy owls that recover in our care are released in a habitat where there is an ample food supply and, ideally, minimal human presence -- the species is nomadic on the wintering grounds, so there is also no need to return the owl to Baileyville."

Helping a snowy owl in distress
Winn has some advice for anyone who sees a snowy owl in distress. "Snowy owls hunt during the day as well as at night, so they are not necessarily in distress if they are seen in broad daylight. They may also remain motionless for extended periods of time while attempting to locate potential prey. Of course, it is preferable not to disrupt that process by a close approach that would prompt the bird to fly away. However, a bird that is lying down rather than perching or sitting might need assistance. A snowy owl that does not resist capture should be assumed injured and/or debilitated, for example, by exhaustion and starvation after its long journey from the Arctic, and therefore at significant risk.
"There are two important things to remember in rescue situations: first, to provide warmth, and second, reduce stress, which can exacerbate whatever difficulties the bird already has. Handling should be minimized. The owl should be placed in a container with soft padding on the bottom as quickly as one can be prepared. The container should be covered, taken indoors, placed in a quiet place, and not disturbed until departure for the rehabilitation center with which transportation arrangements have been made. No attempt should be made to provide food or water."
For more information visit www.avianhaven.org or www.projectsnowstorm.org.