Baby barred owl killed in Sequoia Park

Article Date: 2009-06-12   Source: http://www.times-standard.com   Comments: 0

By Sean Garmire

Eureka, California, U.S.A. - The fledgling barred owl was huddled in a hollow tree in Eureka's Sequoia Park, peering out at passersby who strolled along the nearby park road.

Onlookers notified wildlife officials about the young owl's location on Wednesday, and would later report the bird appeared healthy but anxious as it clacked its beak in the forest understory, warning anyone who approached to stay away.

But when wildlife officials arrived at the tree hours later, they found the young owl's lifeless body, still warm in the blood spattered hollow.

Officials on Thursday attempted to determine not only who killed the bird, but whether the young owl was a federally protected spotted owl or its more common relative, the barred owl.

By Thursday evening, officials at the Redwood Sciences Laboratory had determined the owl was, in fact, a barred owl, but Amanda Auston, director of the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center, said regardless of the species, the bird's killing was ''horrible either way.''

Auston, a zookeeper at Eureka's Sequoia Park Zoo, was notified a grounded owl had been found inside a hollow tree in the nearby forest around 11 a.m. on Wednesday. She set off in search, but the prospect of finding the bird inside the heavily trafficked 67-acre park was ''like finding a needle in a haystack,'' she said.

While Auston and other zoo staff canvassed the park, a Eureka mother and daughter drove past the tree and noticed a small bird.

According to Auston, the mother and daughter checked on the owl, which appeared healthy. The two remained at the location for a short time before continuing their drive. After about 15 minutes, the two returned to check on the bird. When they arrived, they said they saw two teenage boys, who had parked their truck at the location, quickly return to their vehicles and drive away. When the mother and daughter walked up to the tree, they saw the young owl was bleeding profusely from an apparent blunt force wound to its head.

The owl was dead.

The mother and daughter informed zoo staff of the owl's location, and Auston arrived shortly to retrieve the animal.

''It was still bleeding out, and it was warm and still limp,'' Auston said. ''If we had gotten there just 15 minutes earlier, it probably would not have been dead.''

According to Auston, who has examined numerous injured animals in her role with the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center, it appeared the bird had been killed by blunt force to the head.

There were no puncture wounds or patches of pulled feathers, which Auston said would indicate the bird had been killed by predators or other birds. It appeared otherwise healthy, and Auston said the bird would likely have survived out of the nest.

Andy DeVolder, acting field supervisor for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, said although they are not federally listed as endangered, barred owls are federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Wildlife researchers studying barred owl populations have reported data showing the species is rapidly expanding its range into the western portion of the United States, creating problems for the endangered spotted owl, DeVolder said.

The raptor species has been known to crowd northern spotted owls out of their habitat and hybridize with the endangered species, which ''is becoming an increasing problem'' within northern spotted owl territory.

However, DeVolder added ''by no means is it acceptable to kill them.''

The owl's body remains under examination by officials with the California Department of Fish and Game, and Game Warden Josh Zulliger said an investigation is underway to determine who killed the animal.

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