GHO, Injured or Ill

[Nicolle Martin]

Hello Birders. I attempted to rescue a GHO who spent the night on my neighbor’s front walkway, face-down, with one wing outstretched. I understand two individuals were able to walk past the bird early this morning, (teenagers) and the bird remained in the spot. However, when I went to capture it, with a blanket in tow, it flew off as I got about 15 feet away. I was surprised given the above

. Anyway, I saw where it landed, again on the ground, and I plan to try again after sunset. I realize this is a read the tea leaves sort of ask, but does anyone think I’ll have better luck late at night, as opposed to sundown? 

Thanks, 

Nicolle Martin 

Ken Caryl Valley, CO 

 

[Caoimhín Perkins]

I would urge you to reach out to the Birds of Prey Foundation or Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center ASAP. Both of these centers have trained volunteers who can come grab the GHO. GHO are more than capable of severely injuring you if you don’t know what you’re doing — speaking as a former raptor rehabilitator who had one come at me once. These rehabbers can tell you what to do while you wait for them to arrive so that you and the owl are both safe.

[Caoimhín Perkins]

Just want to stress the part about calling those centers for advice before trying to catch it again — if its wing is injured, a botched rescue could injure it more, which is a possible death sentence for a bird, even with rehabilitation, as it might not be releasable with the injury.

[Courtney R]

Please contact Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance since they rehab raptors and are the closest location to you. 

(sidenote- something I’ve done when needing a rehab expert for advice after hours is call an organization in a later time zone. I found them through animalhelpnow.com ) 

Thank you,

Courtney

Courtney Rella, PhD

dr.ca...@gmail.com

On Dec 9, 2025, at 15:22, Nicolle Martin <nicolle....@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Birders. I attempted to rescue a GHO who spent the night on my neighbor’s front walkway, face-down, with one wing outstretched. I understand two individuals were able to walk past the bird early this morning, (teenagers) and the bird remained in the spot. However, when I went to capture it, with a blanket in tow, it flew off as I got about 15 feet away. I was surprised given the above

. Anyway, I saw where it landed, again on the ground, and I plan to try again after sunset. I realize this is a read the tea leaves sort of ask, but does anyone think I’ll have better luck late at night, as opposed to sundown? 

<image_123650291.JPG>

Thanks, 

Nicolle Martin 

Ken Caryl Valley, CO 

 

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[Mary Keithler]

Hi Nicolle,

I just wanted to caution you about the possibility that this owl may have contracted avian flu which could explain its unusual behavior.  Supposedly they don’t live very long after they get sick, so if it did get the avian flu, it may be dead by tomorrow.

Best wishes to you both.

Mary Keithler, Unincorporated Arapahoe County 

Sent from my iPad

On Dec 9, 2025, at 3:22 PM, Nicolle Martin <nicolle....@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Birders. I attempted to rescue a GHO who spent the night on my neighbor’s front walkway, face-down, with one wing outstretched. I understand two individuals were able to walk past the bird early this morning, (teenagers) and the bird remained in the spot. However, when I went to capture it, with a blanket in tow, it flew off as I got about 15 feet away. I was surprised given the above

. Anyway, I saw where it landed, again on the ground, and I plan to try again after sunset. I realize this is a read the tea leaves sort of ask, but does anyone think I’ll have better luck late at night, as opposed to sundown? 

<image_123650291.JPG>

Thanks, 

Nicolle Martin 

Ken Caryl Valley, CO 

 

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