Baby animals should always take their time in staying in the nest and close to their mothers. The early stages of growth should be focused on nurturing the babies — teaching them the ropes of surviving in their environment. Parental care is needed for some baby animals to survive, but some prefer to grow alone. However, those animals will strive to learn how to walk, hunt, and socialize all by themselves. As for birds, it will be a struggle to let their wings fly free — parental guidance is still needed.
For this reason, taking back a baby bird in its nest is essential — if it is still nearby. This guy from Kentucky was the perfect example of what should be done when baby birds are out of the nest. As told by Grant, the baby owls were separated from their mother because the tree they live in got cut down by tree cutters. The baby barred owls were underneath a piece of wood, but they were all alive. Grant could still help the baby owls back to their mother.
“We had to put the babies back to the mom. She was actually up in the tree above them, watching over them,” Grant explained. “The mom could not get them, so we decided to make a little nest and find a good spot where mom was.” The kind-hearted man took a crate box and filled it with twigs to serve as a nest. He safely picked up the baby owls and put them inside their newly built home. Grant tried to get them back home — he climbed up a 25-foot-tall tree to do so.
Grant’s wife helped him take the owls up using a rope and a carrier. The couple successfully placed the nest and the baby owls in a safe spot in a tree. In the video shared by The Dodo, the owl chicks seemed to love their new nest. They looked really cozy, thanks to Grant. After Grant had completed his mission, the mother and father owl immediately flew to the nest. Barred owl chicks need to live with their parents for about four months, and they take care of their chicks longer than most owls. When a young barred owl gains independence, it will usually settle about 10km away from its first nest.
Grant posted updates on the situation of the baby owls on their TikTok account — with the username nurture2nature. Two weeks later, Grant received a notice from the homeowner telling him that only two owls were left in the nest. Grant climbed up the tree again out of concern, only to be welcomed by an adorable surprise. Apparently, the three barred owls are still alive. All of them have healthily grown with beautiful feathers. The three almost outgrew the crate Grant had built for them.
“It’s perfect. This is exactly what they’re supposed to be doing. It’s really cool to see that they grew up,” Grant said. He and his wife, Kristin, have dedicated their lives to animal care. They are involved with the Nurture to Nature Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Owensboro, Kentucky. You can extend your help to wildlife by supporting Nurture to Nature through donations or checking out their Amazon wish list. Learn more about them by following their socials, such as Instagram and TikTok.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
