Epic Is An Understatement

Hi everyone who steps into the world of Rob and the Animals!

I'm jumping right in on this blog... short version of what may or may not be a long story here is recently we were contacted by The Owl Foundation about the possibility of releasing a couple juvenile Great Horned Owls. One of which I had met back on March 1st when I brought him down there after a short stay at Toronto Wildlife Centre. Someone had found him on the ground far below his home some 60+ feet up a tree. Attempts were made to get him home safely, but that wasn't possible due to the height of the nest. So arrangements were made to get him down to The Owl Foundation and introduce him to "Big Red" who is an amazing foster mom Great Horned.

The baby

Big Red

As you can imagine, all went according to plan, from getting him down there, the introduction and some months of him being raised by Big Red, learning how to be an Owl, or better put to be an independent wild Owl. It still blows my mind that these permanent residents at The Owl Foundation, who all are still wild Owls now in captivity due to their injuries, are fostering Owls of the same species and giving them a second chance at a wild life of their own somewhere in the future. Note, residents at The Owl Foundation have very little human interaction. Most monitoring is done with cameras.

So to be in the first part of this bird's life, helping him get to the help he needed was an honour. Now to be a part of the next chapter, getting him back to the wild, well, "epic" is an understatement. I'm sure my statement there can be mirrored by his finder.

We had planned for sometime over the weekend of October 3 and 4th, weather pending. As of Friday the weather was looking decent. By Saturday morning we had another story which was cool, cloudy, damp and windy. Not ideal conditions for release, especially those winds. Angie had been in contact with the finder and we kept our hopes up the release was going to be sooner than later. All of us were quite anxious to be a part of this. The weekend passed without a release as the weather never improved.

Monday arrived and finally the weather turned for the better. It still wasn't quite what they had predicted 12 hours earlier but it wasn't nearly as windy or wet.

Thanks to my new temporary shift at work, I ended up having Monday off and was able to play a part in this as planned. It sucked that Angie couldn't do the drive with me down. I left early in the afternoon, tunes cranked and my mind was wandering with how this day was going to play out.

I was at TOF in record time. Stacy met me in front of the house with a volunteer and away we went. First off was to catch the 2 Owls for release. Stacy went to it in the large enclosure and sure made it look very easy. First up was the High Park "kid".

What a face!

She asked if I would like to help with the banding of the bird. I said "yes". Really I don't do a whole lot except hold the Owl while she does all the work. But what a thrill to hold such a bird! Obviously the Owl did not like us nor what we were doing to him. Thank goodness for gloves as he got my fingers in his talons more than a couple times. If you look at the above photo, you can see he is wrapped up in a blanket of sorts (more like a straight jacket) both for his protection and ours. Everything goes much smoother with a patient who co-operates or is unable to put up a fight. I was thrilled at this opportunity but also a little intimidated because these are powerful birds. I wasn't afraid of getting hurt but afraid of hurting him even as contained as he was. It was a very new experience to me. I kept thinking about the Screech Owl I helped back in the Spring, so much easier to work with even if his hatred to me matched this Great Horned.

No photos were taken of me with the Great Horned since Angie was not there and I forgot to ask someone to snap one. Ah well, the memory will be with me for a very long time.

After a weigh in, wing measurements, banding, etc. he was put in a carrier.

Next up was "Blondie". A feisty young female from the Vaughan area. This was one beautiful but nasty snarly bird chocked full of ferocity and attitude! She hissed and clicked at us, voicing her disapproval to everything. I opted out of helping with her because I knew the whole process would probably take much longer to do with me, and I feared one of us getting hurt due to my inexperience. I know well enough that no one at TOF would let that happen. But in my head, if I am not completely comfortable with it, best not do it. I got a taste of how it's done so I was happy.

You can see why she was nicknamed "Blondie". Look how light in color she is!

You can see she wasn't keen on us and all that was happening.

Just sit back and relax.

Look at those feet!

Weigh in time.

Some measurements being done.

I bet after this she never wants to see another human being again in her life.

After she was done, she too was loaded up in a carrier and soon after I was on my way back to Toronto.

I had been keeping in touch with Angie as well as Gray who is the finder of the High Park "kid". Basically keeping them up to date on where I was, time schedules and so on. Everything was going according to plan, well almost everything, except that Angie could not join us. Disappointing to Gray and I, but it is what it is, life gets in the way at times. Our good friends Jim and Lynda were meeting us at the release location and they too were disappointed with Angie missing this.

The four of us meet on time, I grabbed the carrier and we went for a walk. Dusk was approaching, the evening was mild and we found a spot which seemed suitable for the release, and it was quiet (meaning lack of people). I talk about how I am going to release the Owl from his carrier, something I had explained to me earlier at The Owl Foundation. The door to the carrier isn't exactly wide enough for the bird to come out of. I have to take the whole top of the carrier off, and while I do, I must ensure I am still holding the metal cage door as well otherwise it may fall back and hit the bird. It probably wouldn't harm the Owl but certainly would add a lot of stress.

Having set the carrier down, I am unlocking all the latches.

Now I am slowly lifting the top of the carrier off, ensuring I have a good hold on the door.

Carrier top and door are almost off, and everyone gasped at this moment, first sight of the Owl.

Nobody stood in front of the Owl. We corralled some 6 ft back from him and watched.

He sat and watched us too in between scoping the surroundings.

The Owl did not fly off immediately. He must have sat there for 10 minutes but it sure felt longer. The wait and wonder on when he was going to fly consumed us. We enjoyed seeing him at such a close range but the anticipation on when he would fly was overwhelming. And then, out of the blue, people started coming through the park area from all different directions... some with dogs, a few with off leash dogs! My main focus was on the bird and his well being. I commend my friends on taking care of the people and especially the off leash dogs. I really only remember Lynda at this moment, halting a guy with a rather large Rottweiller type dog not on leash who was watching us some 50 ft off. Lynda may be small but don't let that fool you, when it's something she's passionate about... look out! Thankfully we did not have to see her fiery side come out. Everyone who chanced upon us was great, co-operating, standing well back and watched or hustled along quickly. I was bewildered by those who hustled off. This was something most of us have never seen, nor would ever again (slim chance). Oh well.

Then, suddenly the Owl took flight. He flew across the stretch of field to the edge of the wood lot, gaining height, and finding a branch to sit on and take in his surroundings. His actions did not go unnoticed by other inhabitants of the forest, some 5 or 6 Blue Jays voiced their disapproval and even took a few swats at him.

The Owl stood his ground with the attacks and eventually the Blue Jays gave up and left.

Moments later the Owl left this branch and went deeper into the woods.

He landed in another tree deeper in.

I'm sure we all wished him the best of luck in his new life and we left the area, headed for our rides, said our "goodbyes" and away we went. Everyone headed home while I had "Blondie" still waiting for me in the truck. She hissed upon my entry into the GMC (the carriers are in the back of the SUV).

It was almost dark now, and I knew where I was going, so I wasted no time in getting there. I brought a flashlight with me just in case. What I wished I had with me upon getting to the next release site was bug repellent as the mosquitoes were brutal! Who would have thought on October 5th that those buggers would be an issue?

I grabbed the carrier as gently as I could, walking her to the release site like I was carrying a time bomb. Blondie still hissed and even thrashed about a few times within. As I worked to remove the lid of this carrier, she fought, pushing hard to open it. Smart bird! I barely had it off when she jumped out onto the ground, stretched her wings, turned to look at me for a split second and then took flight. She landed in a nearby tree for not much more than a couple minutes, surveying the area, and then took off again. It was like this bird knew exactly where she was going. Crazy!

Serious tweaking of the manual settings to capture this crap record shot of Blondie just before she took off into the darkness.

Wow! Epic! I will refrain from some blue collar terms I have playing in my head right now. LoL!

Here I am earlier in the adventure, this is my happy face. I'm told it can be seen in my eyes.

I am very thankful we have such wildlife places like Toronto Wildlife and The Owl Foundation. I can't imagine our area, heck even the province, without them. I'm sure thousands of animals are too in their own way. I am proud to volunteer with them where I can, no matter what it is I can do to help them, to help wildlife. I always tell people there are so many ways to help from donations of money to items they use regularly (check their wish lists) or sign on as a volunteer be it for driving, in house cleaning and care, fund raising and so on.

The glow from the Owl releases had me go to bed grinning, dreaming of Owls, and the next afternoon I went for a walk near our home in hopes of spotting one I see semi-regularly who I have named Grace. I hadn't seen her since September 16th. I found her on this afternoon just chilling out. I hope the two I released the night before are somewhere enjoying their wild and free lives high atop the trees.

Thanks Frank!

A blog long overdue here...

Back in December I had been thinking about our old friend Big Frank. It was the 2 year anniversary since I last saw him. I had every intention on sort of reliving our last outing the week of the anniversary, if not the exact day. And with that, I also had every intention on seeing the last bird we saw together too... a Northern Saw-whet Owl. Through the early part of the winter, I had some luck in seeing 4 Saw-whets, and one had shown up in the area where Frank and I had seen one. Hell, it was even being seen in the same freakin' tree!

So, it was looking pretty good to do this with ease but of course life got in the way, busy with this and that, work, bad weather, loafing on the internet one morning and whatever other excuses I can muster up a couple months later. I was being very bad with the putting things off even though it was pressing in my brain to get out there and do this. Notice I used the word "intention" a couple times? Yep, good intentions aren't all that good if you don't act on them. I am making it sound worse than what it is because the actual day was a Wednesday so it was only Monday and Tuesday that I was messing around.

Little secret about me, I can be a bit of a procrastinator at times. Shhhhhh...

Anyways, true story here.

With my loafing and whatever those first couple days of the week, Wednesday December 17th is now here and I really want to leave the house and go seek out a little Saw-whet Owl. It's never a guarantee with wild animals on whether they will be presenting themselves or not, but it was worth a try, and even if I didn't find one, it would be nice to relive some of the morning Frank and I had out. I still laugh at his statement on the bird that day... "what a fucking little sweetheart!" I have his voice saying it in my head anytime I think of that. And of course I put a few Lamb of God cds in the truck as Frank states "that shit is gonna rot your brain".

I had been in semi-regular contact with Toronto Wildlife lately about a Red-tailed Hawk I picked up some weeks earlier. I am always curious on the animals I bring in to the centre. This Hawk was healing well and there was a potential release coming up soon.

So, this morning, I am on the phone with them once again about the bird and at the end of our conversation, I was asked if I would be interested in transporting 4 Northern Saw-whet Owls to the Owl Foundation. As some know, I am a volunteer driver both with Toronto Wildlife and The Owl Foundation. They were going to put a "shout out" to the list of volunteers but since they had me on the phone, they thought why not ask me and maybe save keying out an email and waiting for a reply? It would be for the next day. How could I say "no"?

It was later in the morning now, later than I had liked, I still needed to shower and get ready for work. I probably could have made a quick sweep of an area before work to look for a Saw-whet but didn't. I kinda took this as a sign from Frank, like "Here ya go Rob! Thanks for thinking of me."

And with that, the next morning I was up and at it bright and early, picked up the little Owls and headed to The Owl Foundation in Vineland. It's just over an hour drive one way. The radio is kept off but I don't mind. I take in the sights around me as I roll down the highway. It gives me time to think. My imagination flows on things like doing this blog. The memories of my friendship with Frank come back. And I am excited to be visiting The Owl Foundation once again, full of high hopes that all these Owls are going to come out fine in the end.

Truck full of Owls

I arrive at TOF. We get all the Owls in the house and then Kathy invited me in for a coffee and some Christmas treats (week before the big day). "Hells to the yes!" for the invite. Annick and Stacey were in the office with her, all having lunch. It was cool to sit back and shoot the shit with them since we rarely see them throughout the year, or for very long. The annual open house has them all running ragged. And most of the drives for the Owls, have had us drop the birds off and leave moments later.

We had some good chat, story telling and not just about Owls.

Lunch ended and I was about to leave when it was suggested that I could watch Annick and Stacey do their initial observations of the Saw-whets if I was interested. "Heck ya!" I recon 3 years of volunteer driving is probably why I was able to experience this, add our annual sponsoring too (just saying).

I met up with them downstairs and watched them go over each bird, checking the eyes, weight, fat content, etc. It was great! I always forget how small those birds are until I see them in hand. Of course I didn't have my camera with me. Damn! I tried a few cell phone photos but nothing came out worth sharing. Oh well, the pictures in my mind from this memory are way better anyway.

It was mentioned a few times about Angie not being here. Will she be envious? Will she kill me? Maybe force me to sleep on the couch for a week? LoL! It was all good fun. Everyone knows she's very passionate about this stuff but also a full supporter when it's just me doing the drives. She's there in spirit.

We had some further discussions about 2015 and how Angie and I can help in other ways. It's not easy for us with the distance and the fact her and I work opposite shifts. We need our quality time too. But time will tell and I'm sure one of us will be blogging about it when/if it happens.

Unfortunately Kay was unavailable but I was happy to see her best buddy Big Bird on the way out.

It was a great run for both Toronto Wildlife and The Owl Foundation. Call me crazy but I believe Frank had some part of this. Thanks Frank!

An update on the littel Owls... 3 are still at The Owl Foundation. Sadly one passed away.

Volunteer Emergency Driving for Wildlife

I recently signed on as a volunteer emergency driver with the Toronto Wildlife Centre. And last Wednesday (Sept 24) I had an interview with Nick Morley of TWC. Basically the interview is for them to get to know who is interested, kinda see what they are about, go over some general questions and even discuss a few scenarios when it comes to picking up an injured animal from someone's home. It's all common sense really but some people sure do lack that at times.

Anyways, interview went great, mine went almost an hour as we chatted about lots of stuff and exchanged stories, even learning we both have Tarantulas which was pretty cool. Not many people have such creatures in their home.

With volunteer driving, when an animal is in need and TWC needs a driver, an email is first sent out to everyone on the list. It's a quick way to get in touch with a mass of people instead of the calling one by one.

Saturday the 27th, I got that first email. They were seeking a driver to go out to Mississauga Animal Control and pick up an injured Coopers Hawk to bring back to TWC.

A Coopers Hawk in our back yard on September 7th.

I responded first. And then had to wait for them to speak with MAC at opening time. No problem. Angie threw a quick breakfast together in the meantime.

TWC call me back and it's all good to go but they asked if I could help out an injured Opossum near our home first. He most likely was hit by a car and an elderly lady saw him laying on the side of the road. She had no idea what he was but knew he needed help. A big shout out to 81 year old Marion who stepped in to help this guy by making the call to TWC and partially containing him with a lidless box over him and a brick on top.

An Opossum we went to see the release of back into the wild, thanks to the help of Hobbitstee.

The location of the Opossum was very near our house, and the thought of him being in pain, under a box on the sidewalk, was all just too much to bear and away I went.

There's not a lot to the "rescue" since he was mostly contained but it's still an adventure talking to strangers, people watching from the street, and seeing this box with an injured animal inside and not really knowing what to expect. How injured is the animal? How big is he? Will he fight? He cannot be transported with the box since there is no lid. I brought a carrier along with me that our friends Dave and Andi gave us for our Falcon watches. The fun would be to get the Opossum into the carrier. But as soon as I lifted the box, my heart melted at the sight of the tiniest 'possum I've ever seen in the wild. Obviously a little guy just born this year. He gave me no trouble, pretty much played Possum, and I put a towel over him with some heavy gloves I have, and gently put him in the carrier. I'm hoping his lack of fight was because of his lack in size and not that he was so far gone. In a few days I will hopefully have an update on him.

Marion was a nice and kinda comical elderly woman. She asked me about the Opossum. She thought he was a giant rat species of some sort and surprised to learn he was from the marsupial family. I commend her on wanting to help an injured animal she knew nothing about, and perhaps found a little intimidating with his razor sharp teeth and long rat like tail. She made a comment about my hair, but in a positive way, saying I had really cool hair. LoL! Her husband stayed behind the scenes, watching from a far.

I thanked Marion for what she did, saying the animals need a lot more people like her in this city.

From there I went to pick up the Coopers Hawk. I had the radio off in order to keep things as quiet as possible for my sick passenger. I turned the A/C on since the day was heating up fast.

I picked up the Hawk, had to sign a few forms, and cover his carrier before taking him outside to the truck (this was in hopes to keep him calm and not struggle in his cage). I'm unsure of his injuries or what really happened to him. Both he and the Opossum were very quiet and still through the ride back to Toronto Wildlife.

I took one photo with my Blackberry and this is it here...

Coopers Hawk on the left, Opossum on the right, in the back of the GMC.

It is frowned upon to add further stress to the animals with photo ops. And really, other than for documentation purposes if need be, who would want to have pictures of an animal that is really sick and could be dead before the end of the day? What kind of memory is that? Most of us who take photos do it for the joy and hold fond memories to our photos.

It was an exciting "maiden voyage" that morning. I only wish Angie was able to be a part of it. But with us having lots of other plans on the go, she stayed home and kept us on track with other things. And she was happy I was able to help this time because Lord knows how many times I've had to turn down helping the Owl Foundation over the last 3 years. With emergency volunteer driving, there really isn't a lot of warning time, most often it's ASAP. We do what we can, when our schedules allow. Especially at my job, there isn't leeway on start times, coming in late, and anything else not to their liking goes on file. I feel guilt when I cannot help an animal and I feel very proud when I can. Whether I've played a part in saving the animal's life or just helped him get to a better place where his suffering ends quick and peaceful.

Prior to these two creatures, I've turned in about half a dozen animals to TWC, and only one made it back to the wild world again. I'm hoping my luck, and the animals', turns around some to a better ratio.

Please wish these two guys all the best at their stay in the hospital and may they see the light of day again.

So many of the animal rehab centres can use more volunteers and donations. Donations don't always have to be $$$ either, they all have wish lists. Come on, check your local centres and see if you can do a little something for them as well. Think of the animals!

I know right now that TWC really needs volunteer drivers from the King City area over to Markham. Please click on the link here and maybe you or a friend could be of some help one day.

Trashy Fashion... not on wildlife thank you very much

So, Earth Day was this week. Did you know that? Did you give it much thought if you knew? Even for a moment? How about what you can do for it? I know none of us are perfect thanks to old habits; but we all can do a little something to help take away from the situation as doing anything is better than nothing.

One of my biggest pet peeves is litter. Why do people do it? We see it everywhere. People toss it out their car windows, people leave it in public parks and even not cleaning up in your own backyard can have a negative impact.

Look at this Squirrel who visited our yard this past Saturday. I know she's kinda comical looking with the "trash skirt". It's not hindered her in anyway of getting around or eating, but still it's a sad sign that didn't need to happen.


She'd come right up to me for handouts like many of them do. If only I could grab her and pull it off myself; but I can't. Hopefully she's going to chew it off or it just wears off with her daily adventures of climbing up and down trees, squeezing under fences and wherever else she goes.


About an hour after we saw that Squirrel, we then ran into this Groundhog who had a plastic bag wrapped around his neck. As if one wild animal donning garbage wasn't enough! Once again, this was not effecting the animal in anyway; we watched him walk around and graze, and eventually disappear up a hill back to his home, but still... argh!


The handle does look a little tight around his neck and is probably slightly uncomfortable.  I've notified some people who work around where I believe this Groundhog lives, to keep an eye on him.  Also reminding them about the Toronto Wildlife Centre ready to help if needed.  I'm sure the bag handle will eventually break apart but this too should not have happened, if whoever had the bag in the first place disposed of it properly. 


Imagine for either of these creatures if it was something not so easily to get out of and more harmful to them?  What then?  Would someone find them and be able to help in time to save the creature from further harm or possible death?

Just something for you all to think about.  And remember that The Toronto Wildlife Centre is only a phone call away at 416 631 0662 to answer any questions or help you get an animal out of trouble in any situation.