Four year old imprinted male Barred Owl ... Cared for by the Northern Illinois Raptor Center
An imprinted raptor cannot be released from captivity because they considers themselves human since that is the first thing they saw when they opened their eyes. What this means is that they will interact with humans the same way they would with their own species in the wild ... attacking you if you intrude in their territory or attempting to mate with you ... Either of these actions being very dangerous for both humans and the birds. Thus, they are placed in a center and used for education. Not the life they would prefer or we would prefer for them, but the only life they know. It is up to us to provide quality of life.
Link to Saturday's Critters
Link to Saturday's Critters
11 comments:
Great post and info, awesome shots of the Barred owl! Thanks for sharing with Saturday's Critters! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
How beautiful, how beautiful....HOW BEAUTIFUL!! Bud and I were just talking about going out birding near dusk to see if we could spot some owls...this must be an omen!!!
Happy Christmas to you and your family!!!
The owl is incredible!! What fantastic captures for the day,. Andrea!! Beautiful indeed! Have a great weekend and wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!! Enjoy!
Sylvia
How beautiful, how sad. Thank you.
He's a very handsome fellow. Merry Christmas!
What gorgeous owls! It's so sad that they have to live out their lives in captivity, but hopefully their lives will be good. I'm cooking, so gotta run. You have a fabulous day. Hugs, Edna B.
This owl is amazingly beautiful! Love your photos too. It is really a shame when a raptor like this becomes imprinted and is unable to live out its natural life. Not so bad when they are injured, but imprinting seems much harder. Hope you have a wonderful christmas Andrea, and thank you so much for your kind comments on the loss of my little dog. very hard having an animal put down... especially wiht this medical background that gives you the urge that you can "fix it " if you get the right formula. Know in my heart though it was the right thing to do. we do miss t hese animals though and they become a part of our family. Blessings to you in this season
Such a beautiful bird.
It is a very beautiful owl. Owls are a real novelty for me.. I have only ever seen an owl once...one evening ...almost sunset... I saw one sitting on a neighbour's tree...from my kitchen window. I couldn't believe my eyes! How lucky!
I am glad your poor owl is being well looked after.
The look on his face in that second shot is so sad. I did not know about imprinted owls. That is so sad, but it sounds like they have the best nature lovers can provide for them. I just read your post to my husband. We are so touched by their plight and what good is being done for them.
Stunning shots.
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