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Last March, two nestling barn owls fell from their nest in a tree in Tracy and were brought to the wildlife hospital. One was in good condition with no injuries seen upon examination. The other owlet had an injured wing. After stabilizing and bandaging the wing, the two birds were administered fluids and given mice to eat. A week later, the injured wing had healed well and both birds were put into the hack box on the museum’s observation deck.
A hack box is a large plywood enclosure used as an artificial nest, especially for birds of prey. Baby raptors are placed in the box when they are able to eat whole mice and can maintain their own body temperature. The front of the box faces away from human activity so the birds inside see trees and other animals, but no people. The back of the box has a small window through which food is given daily—from the birds’ point of view, the food just mysteriously appears. When the birds are almost ready to take their first flight, their front door is opened and the birds can venture out. Food continues to appear in the box, so the now fledgling owls can practice flying and hunting, but still have a meal back at the nest. This method of release keeps the birds wild and afraid of people and it gives them time to practice their skills before they’re completely on their own.
When the birds first came in, they both weighed about 342 grams (about 12 ounces). At their recheck one month later, they weighed 568 grams and 669 grams, so they had been doing a good job of eating and growing. As the owls approached the age of their first flights, they started cutting back on their food. Fledglings in the nest often weigh more than their parents do, but they quickly slim down as soon as they start to fly. Six weeks after falling from their nest and coming into the hospital, their hack box was opened. They practiced their flight and hunting skills for about a week, coming back the hack box each night to eat. Gradually over the next few weeks, fewer of the offered mice were eaten as the owls perfected their skills. We still occasionally see a barn owl in the trees around the museum at dusk.
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