From Badger Run Wildlife Rehab

This Northern Saw-whet owl was admitted on Sunday morning.

No obvious fractures were found, but he definitely has head trauma. He was found in the road, so we assume he was hit by a car. We’ll get X-rays later today. He was having some breathing issues at intake, so we also suspect air sac damage. Just to be safe he was put on supplemental oxygen and heat along with the standard anti-inflammatory pain meds we administer for head trauma.

The little guy is full grown and weighed in at a whopping 75 g (2.6oz)! This means he’s likely a male given he’s on the small end of the species’ weight range. The pear next to him is for scale.

Our volunteer manning the helpline Saturday night had just silenced the Badger Run phone for the night at about 10:30pm. While brushing her teeth she saw the call come in and called the finders back. She told them how to properly overnight the bird and gave them instructions for bringing him in Sunday morning.

About the only time we don’t answer our helpline is when we are asleep, in the shower, or at an appointment. Because of this, we routinely receive calls from all over Oregon when other rehabs are closed. We regularly find ourselves giving folks advice on what to do with an animal until their own rehab opens.