I went out this morning as usual to retrieve the card from my motion activated camera when I heard a loud thump behind me. Something had smacked into the mountain room window, and hard.

With some trepidation I walked over a peered behind the two rattan chairs and there he was-a Western Screech-owl (Otus kennicottii), looking quite the worse for wear. His wing appeared to be broken and one eye wasn’t fully opened. He was stunned, but how badly was he hurt? I called to my wife and daughter and we sprang into action.

Julie got on the phone to the Desert Museum (a great place by the way) , pronto, and started looking for a suitable container to put him in. While waiting for a callback from the wildlife rehabilatator they recommended, daughter Violet and I took a few photos of the little guy and noticed he was becoming incrementally more alert. First one eye opened, then the other, and suddenly he pulled in his “broken” wing, and with a couple hops, took off into the mesquite bosque next to the house. Were we relieved!

Me especially.By default, I was “elected” to do the transfer from patio floor to box. Look at these talons!

Here again is my baby owl photo from the original Please Save the Animal series of photos. Similar plumage ?:)