Great Horned Owl

Some of our favorite neighbors, the Carlisles, called because an owl had been stuck in their fence. They were able to cut it loose but the barbed wire was still in the wing. First a mite flew from the owl and unto Cory... Hehe! The first time I saw this was in vet school when I was working on a buzzard. It was gross then and its gross now!! 

This creature IS AMAZING!!!!! 

Apparently they are mating this time of year and cool fact... They are nest thieves. They particularly like the hawk nest best. Also they lay 2 eggs days apart. That's why if you never see a nest the babies are different sizes. 

We were able to remove the wire and get him comfortable until he could hitch a ride to Auburn. 

The plumiforms, "ear tufts", aren't actually ears and the purpose is unknown. Their real ears are asymmetrical, one ear high and one ear low, to help locate prey. They also adjust the little feathers in the facial disc to adjust their hearing. But the eyes... Now this is cool ... Are fixed into position... That's why they rotate their heads and can rotate up to 270 degrees!

AMAZING!!!