Young owl’s ordeal has happy ending Monday in NE Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- You can't say that the St. Francis Medical Center community doesn't give a hoot about nature -- specifically, regarding a family of Great Horned Owls living on the property.
Employees of a medical complex at the intersection of Powers Boulevard and Woodmen Road arrived at work Monday to find an owlet, approximately six weeks old, perched on a bench near the outside entrance... and later, on an adjacent trash can.
Employees worried that the owl was injured, sick or became lost in the snowstorm overnight Sunday.
A Colorado Parks & Wildlife manager responded to the scene and determined the young raptor had fallen from its nest -- high in the rafters of the hospital's underground parking garage. -- around 300 feet away.
The manager found the nest and climbed onto the hood of his pickup truck to return the owlet. In the process, one of its siblings also fell out and was returned.
CPW said that three owlets occupy the nest, and fortunately the parents were out hunting or the manager would have had a trickier time bringing the youngsters home.
It's common for owlets to fall from their nests in late winter and early spring, CPW said, when their wings are not yet strong enough to allow them to fly. In addition, Manmade structures offer the raptors good shelter and protection for raising young.
Less common, the agency said, are adult owls who may be temporarily unable to fly because they've eaten too much or due to bad weather.
The owls at St, Francis have become a popular and welcome part of the community, and are often seen on some of the hospital ledges watching the surrounding activity or searching for their next meal.
