"There is a dead owl in the barn".
What? "There is a dead owl in the barn probably fell from the nest, the cats will get it don't worry about it".
I walked to the barn and right by the door there was a little white owl chick flat on the floor with it's little wings that were not even wings spread on the cold barn floor and it looked dead.
The idea the cats would get it worried me and I picked it up hoping it would be alive.
I took the little bunch of white feathers in my hand covered it with my other hand and blowed my warm breath into my hands where the chick was. I felt cold and lifeless.
It made an amazing fall from the top of the barn to the cold concrete floor of at least 32 feet.
Me trying to warm up the cold body with my breath I felt movement in my hands walking back to the kitchen and somehow the baby owl came back to life.
I grabbed the carton box that I saved from my grocery shopping and filled it with hay, got a lamp to warm the box, covered it with a dark cloth and that became my little friend's new home. I named him Quasimodo.
I had no idea on how to keep this chick alife al I knew was that the animal store sold frozen chicken chicks. Damn.
Chicken chicks should not be frozen but be alife.
I got a pack of frozen chicken chicks and the butcher in me came alife.
To feet my owl I had to cut the chicken baby's into small pieces and feed it to the owl. What a mess on the kitchen table but Quasimodo was willing to eat.
This owl is an protected bird and no one is allowed to keep a wild bird so in a few days the birdgestappo came to my door collecting the bird. Saying it would not survive anyway and better to get it over with, meaning to let it die.
"No way! This bird was born in my barn, it is alive and I will take care of it goodbye".
Quasimodo did well and start growing. I was worried for he could not keep his head up and I made a "Whiplash collar" for him. Feeding him was a mess but he did fine and within a few weeks he could stand on his own feet. I cleaned him like a mother bird and he really got attached to me.
Just look at that. I felt like a proud mom seeing her child take the first steps. At this point I just knew this was a winner.
Quasimodo was a fighter.
It is am amazing experience to see an ugly chick turn into an amazing beautiful bird.
Quasimodo was still in the kitchen in a carton box but one night in the corner of my eyes I saw something in the kitchen. A shadow, a bird that escaped his comfort zone to explore the world.
It was time.
Flying lessons. How am I going to learn a bid how to fly?
Quasimodo had no intentions to leave me by flying off into the forest. I took him on my arm outside and by that time he was grown into a beautiful young bird. I sat in the grass and throw him in the air, "Fly baby fly"!
And he did......!Landed and came running back to me. Every flying lesson he went further but always came back to me. I lived in a forest and people walked by asking me it they could see the bird up close for they never ever seen anything like it.
The box in the kitchen had to go and Quasimodo had to move to the chicken coop it was important for me to see if he could find food to keep himself alive.
It was never my intention to keep this wild bird as a pet bird so to rehabilitate him into the wild he had to be able to feed himself and me collecting owl pellets to see what is in there. I saw bones and skulls meaning Quasimodo knew how to find his food.
I made an easy escape for him so he could choose to leave.
Meanwhile I contacted the zoo and asked them If there was anything else I had to do.
They warned me!
Be careful they said the bird will be watching you and if any strange person comes close to you he might attack that person.
It was only a few days later after Quasimodo left my far away neighbor came by and told me that the owl landed in his barn and made it his new home. Everyone knew by than I had an Illegal owl that I was not willing to hand over to the birdgestappo to let it die.
I accomplished something no one would expect.
Be careful they said the bird will be watching you.
Quasimodo found his new home high in the top of the barn of my far away neighbor.
In front of my house there was a 500 year old oak tree and every evening I sat there until dark. to enjoy the forest, the sound and the smell and every time I was there Quasimodo came to the tree and sat with me. When I walked to the barn to check my horses he flew with me and watched me.
Just before dark everyday Quasimodo came to visit me. I would sit outside by the tree and my friend was with me.
