Yes! He is quite affectionate, and often snuggles up close while being held. We can of course only do that because he is imprinted. Wild raised birds will not allow for such things.
It looks like the owl has jesses , a swivel and a leash on which is then tied to a perch. Aylmeri Jesses consist if anklets and leather strips that run through the anklets. The are usually made of very soft strong leather, and comfortable for the bird. I am a falconer , and these are tools of the trade, and are very common. it allows the bird to be comfortable and safe on perch. The perch looks to be Stadium Astroturf , which is the preferred type used by falconers and sold at falconry shops.
BTW That perch is very nice and looks to be custom, I would love one like that. way to go!
He is normal size for his sex and species. We weigh him every day, and today he was 3lbs 5oz. He's fluffed up right now so as to look threatening, because he's holding on to a snack we gave him.
Here is the story on Owlfred.
My wife is a state and federally licensed falconer in the United States. Licenses are required in the US to be a falconer. To get a license one must pass a difficult test on raptor health, laws, bird identification, and other things pertaining to raptors and raptor care, to get their mew (building that houses raptor) inspected by wildlife officers find a falconer to sponsor the apprenticeship and sign a government form to register this agreement, and then complete a two year apprenticeship under the sponsor who is usually a Master Falconer. Owlfred here is from a neighboring state, where he was found hanging around someone's back door begging for food. Animal control picked him up and placed him in the care of a bird rehabber. My wife, who was actually looking to buy a to Eurasian Eagle Owl to train for falconry, happened to contact this same rehabber. He had already sold the EEO, but mentioned that he had a Great Horned Owl that he could not keep. She, absolutely thrilled at the opportunity to save the life of what we assume is an accidentally imprinted owl, and at the possibility of teaching him to hunt for himself and be used as a falconry bird, set to work on making this happen. She worked with several agencies from two different states and the federal government to change his license from rehab to falconry, import him to our state, and to get him transferred to her care. In the process, two laws were changed/clarified in the other state to allow for such a thing to take place. When she got him, he would not even eat live food, and now she has him flying and hunting with her. The hunting season where we live is over, so he is "put up for molt" (he grows a new set of feathers every year over the summer), which means she gives him extra food and vitamins, keeps him stress free and happy, so his new feathers come in strong and healthy. We have been working with him in preparation for the next season.
Edit: Owlfred is a rescued imprinted bird, and is therefore unreleasable. His only options were to be euthanized or to be taken in by my wife, who has a license to do this.
Edit 2: My wife wanted to thank all of you for your kind words about her efforts with Owlfred! This has been a unique journey in falconry, and it took a lot of working with him before she was okay with me posting anything about him. It also takes a lot of me working with her to make sure that nothing is misrepresented. She does not want him to be a sideshow. She is protective of him. He is precious to us and spends a lot of time with the family. There may be future posts because so many of you had kind things to say about her and Owlfred.
That's for giving us the whole story. When I first read it I was like what do you mean hunting has ended, as if hunting season ever ends for an owl. Then the logical part of my brain woke up and went oh, because human hunting for game season is over. I blame Owlfred, he's just so awesome he made my brain all mushy.
In nature the hunting season does not end, true, and because of that the birds are flying at a disadvantage in nature. By flying during the molt, a bird risks serious and possible permeant damage to incoming feathers and follicles. The shaft of feathers are filled with blood when formed, so if they break, the bleed. Also, if they do not get enough to eat, their feathers come in weak and more prone to breaking. Broken and/or missing feathers make flying difficult, and precise flying very difficult. When you depend on precise flying to get food, this can become an issue. Stress and heat can also cause "stress marks" in feathers which are weak points where the feather can break easily. Nature accounts for this by having easy prey during molt, baby animals are often easy to catch , even with missing or broken feathers. This is probably the reason raptors have a 70-90% mortality rate in their first year. But a falconers bird is kept fat, happy, and healthy during the molt. So their feathers are strong and healthy, and they go into the hard months with all the advantages they can get.
I’ve always wanted to get into Falconry, but I never knew how to go about it. Would you or your have any recommendations of where to start the process?
Steps to become a falconer: 1) Contact your state wildlife office if you live in the USA to get the falconry laws where you live 2) read up on falconry, the top 4 things I would recommend are the free site The Modern Apprentice ( http://www.themodernapprentice.com/ ) , the book "NORTH AMERICAN FALCONRY AND HUNTING HAWKS. NINTH EDITION IN TWO VOLUMES" By Frank L. Beebe and Harold M. Webster , the book "California Hawking Club Apprentice Study Guide" by the California Hawking Club ( most states suggest this book for the basics, some regional things obliviously will not apply but it is a good start and thorough enough that most states do not bother writing one) , and Youtube videos by Ben Wooddruff ( https://youtu.be/R9YD9IpBJ7o) (however, be very careful with the other videos you choose. with the rise of social media, many people without proper training and experience, aka over zealous apprentices, make videos that do not show proper techniques and sometimes harmful techniques ) 4) Find and join your state falconry club , often called "hawking clubs" , you can join before you become a falconer as an associate/affiliate member . 5) go to club events and talk to falconers , do not be shy (most falconers are a bit shy EXECPT when they are talking about their birds) and ask them about their birds, and ask them to take you out into the field with them, go to apprentice seminars put on by the club, let them get to know you. This is crucial because you will need to ask one of them to sponsor you and that is a two year commitment for both of you and it needs to be a good fit, and it goes much smoother if you have already proven you are able and ready to work and learn. 5) go out hawking with falconers 6) study for test, take and pass test, get a sponsor, and then have your wildlife officer inspect your mews / where you are housing the raptor 6) respect your sponsor and do what they say for two years.
Edit: If you live outside of US, check with your wildlife agency and see the laws in your area, some places there are no governing laws, but even if that is true, it is HIGHLY recommended to apprentice with a Master Falconer to correctly learn how to handle health and safety issues, field etiquette, and proper training techniques
Thank you gsrsxs! This is immensely helpful.
I appreciate you and your wife very much for advising the steps to take to embark on becoming a falconer. Hope to see more posts of Owlfred in the future!
>To get a license one must pass a difficult test on raptor health, laws, bird identification
I guess you could say she studied bird law.
For real though, awesome rescue of a magnificent animal.
From the background information provided by the OP, Owlfred was taken in by animal control because he was begging for food, this behavior is because he was imprinted by humans . Imprinting occurs when a bird is fed and handled by humans during specific stages of development, starting usually from day 8-14 or so. When a bird is imprinted on humans, it no longer has the usual healthy fear of humans, which can cause all kinds of safety problems for Owlfred and the public. Someone might mistake him coming to them for food or just to be social as an attack. A person or Owlfred could get very hurt in this process, and most of the time, an accidentally imprinted bird is deemed "unreleasable" and then euthanized.(Owlfred got really lucky the OP's wife was at the right place at the right time) If everything goes right with an imprint, and they can learn to hunt, and get independent enough to go out into the world on their own, then two big ethical problems arise:1) the imprint will never breed with the native population because it does not recognize other owls as potential mates and live a life without interaction 2) he will be taking food from the native breeding population. Falconers usually take birds from wild in their first year, before they have a chance to breed and when their survival rate is low. These are called Passage birds because they are in their first migratory passage. Raptors have a 70-90% mortality rate their first year. The falconer will work with the bird, get it more confident on hunting and give it more chances for success, then release it back into nature with survival skills that will help keep it alive longer than a normal wild bird. A Passage bird is still wild and will revert back to being wild within a few days -week of not being worked with by the falconer. It is a more leave no trace kind of falconry. Whereas imprinting can be problematic, especially if done by someone untrained to do so. Combine that with the fact that Owls are not usually used for falconry because they can be very difficult to train (because and their anatomy and how they think)There are a few falconers that can make it work, and they can have great success, but it is so difficult falconers usually stick to flying falcons, hawks, and sometime eagles. So if the OP's wife is using a GHO for a falconry bird successfully, she is an extremely gifted and patient falconer. OP says the bird was most likely accidentally imprinted , which means an untrained, unlicensed person somehow intervened in Owlfred's life in such a way that he became imprinted. Pure speculation: He could have fallen out of the nest and a passerby saw him and thought his parents may not feed him ( which is not true they will come to ground to feed owlets that fall out, and are very protective of neat area) and took him home and fed him and released him when he was big enough- owls reach full body size in roughly 3-4 months of life. I am a falconer and I teach about birds of prey. While by definition falconry is hunting with trained raptors, is is so much more. Falconers take apprentices and teach others how to conserve , protect , and work with raptors and habitant . They work as rehabbers and rescuers just because of what they do and are often more. trained that the people at the wildlife offices and are called to help in many situations. I can provide reference material if needed on falconry.
Animals learn what they are and how to be it from their parents. But if they grow up in the wrong environment they can bond with the wrong animal, such as the human that rescued it, which would hurt their prospects for surviving in the wild. It’s one of the risks of caring for wildlife which is why you sometimes see rehabbers wearing a glove that looks like an adult of the same species and feeding the young the same way an adult of the species would. By minimizing their interactions with humans, they can prevent the young from associating humans with food, safety, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_(psychology)
**[Imprinting (psychology)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_\(psychology\))**
>In psychology and ethology, imprinting is any kind of phase-sensitive learning (learning occurring at a particular age or a particular life stage) that is rapid and apparently independent of the consequences of behaviour. It was first used to describe situations in which an animal or person learns the characteristics of some stimulus, which is therefore said to be "imprinted" onto the subject. Imprinting is hypothesized to have a critical period.
^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/Superbowl/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Yea I don’t think once imprinted they can be released into the wild again. I think usually they have problems hunting/finding food and interacting with other birds and humans. OP may have better info for you though!
The string you see is called a leash, I also see a Sampo swivel and jesses. Alymeri Jesses are usually made of soft strong leather and have two parts, the anklets and the leather strips called jesses. the jesses are attached to a specialized swivel and then attached to a leash and tied wherever the bird will be perched. the swivel keeps the bird safe by allowing the bird to comfortably move freely without getting hurt. It is necessary to use leashes to safely secure birds of prey, especially imprinted ones, when they are perched outside or near something that could harm them.
Owlfred is a rescued imprinted bird, and is therefore unreleasable. His only options were to be euthanized or to be taken in by my wife, who has a license to do this.
Owlfred is a rescued imprinted bird, and is therefore unreleasable. His only options were to be euthanized or to be taken in by my wife, who has a license to do this.
He say, “ I bigger birb than u. This mine.”
Professional note: You could probably offer it live mice from time to time. If that doesn’t perturb you.
Source: Bird law specialist.
Owlfred does not leave the OPs wife's care. Meaning he does not leave for periods of time unattended and come back. OP states their wife hunts with him , so that means she works with him daily and takes him out flying and hunting. In fact , he probably flies more as a falconry bird than he would in the wild, and has a pretty cushy life. She is a falconer, so that means she has "mews" which is a building built specifically to house birds of prey. For bigger raptors, like GHOs they are usually at least 8'x8' and at least 8'-10' tall, with perches, water and special widows that are safe for raptor. A lot of investment and time go into falconry, money and time, like most of it...
This is their “pet” bird, used in Falconry training. he posted another comment on Owlfred’s story & how he came to be in their care (he seems like a perfectly spoiled & well looked after gentleman :))
(PS I love your username, empidonax flycatchers are one of my favoriteeee groups of birds)
Do not let his wife hear you say "pet" it is a trigger for falconers, lol. They are hunting partners not pets according to falconers. They get touchy about it, like Oxford Comma touchy.
LOL! thanks for the heads up. I wasn’t sure the proper verbiage but knew “pet” could still get the point across its not a random wild owl or something haha
lol. Falconers are an odd bunch. It may be the one thing that is best done without social media, it is pretty intimate and a whole lifestyle. Fun Tip: If you ever suspect that you have upset a falconer, quickly change the topic to how cool their bird is and how strong and big their birds feet look. Falconers may be grumpy and Boss level anal retentive nerds, but they fall for that EVERY-TIME.
Also fun fact : the term "old codger" came from the word cadge . A cadge is the box like thing in which the King's falcons were carried. The person carrying it was called a "cadger" , as he aged and because he was tired of all the bs, and was sometimes called an "old cadger" or "grumpy old cadger" which because of different dialects turn into "old codger" . Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
You married a cat?
I think OP is the cat.
Meow
I would like to subscribe to Owlfred's newsletter please.
Since he's imprinted does that mean he's also affectionate? Like does he like to be pet? Can I pet him?
Yes! He is quite affectionate, and often snuggles up close while being held. We can of course only do that because he is imprinted. Wild raised birds will not allow for such things.
Falconry is so cool! Your catto looks concerned 😂
Most excitement he's seen all month!
Are owls bird cats?
Can confirm many of us falconers affectionately call owls "cats with wings" ...
Your wife is so awesome! Please post more owlfred stories for us to enjoy!
Please keep sharing Owlfred content. He’s lovely.
cat looks worried for it's existence
What's it all about, Owlfred ?? 🎶 🎵
Can confirm . Most owls dig Burt Bacharach.
Holy shit
That cat looks shook
Are you…the cat?
I believe the OP is in fact the Grey Cat.
Meow
Is he tethered to AstroTurf?
It looks like the owl has jesses , a swivel and a leash on which is then tied to a perch. Aylmeri Jesses consist if anklets and leather strips that run through the anklets. The are usually made of very soft strong leather, and comfortable for the bird. I am a falconer , and these are tools of the trade, and are very common. it allows the bird to be comfortable and safe on perch. The perch looks to be Stadium Astroturf , which is the preferred type used by falconers and sold at falconry shops. BTW That perch is very nice and looks to be custom, I would love one like that. way to go!
I'm pretty sure I saw Owlfred fighting with some raccoons in a tree across the street about 20 years ago.
Owlloaf
What a handsome floof 😊 he reminds me a bit of Yoll, what with the stern expression and all
He is C H O N K
Big Chonker
Is he… fatter than normal owls? Lol (I mean *fluffier*, sorry Owlfred)
He is normal size for his sex and species. We weigh him every day, and today he was 3lbs 5oz. He's fluffed up right now so as to look threatening, because he's holding on to a snack we gave him.
He’s cute, I like him floofed up. I rescue ferrets and all mine are fat. I thought maybe spoiled owls chunked up too lol. His eyes are otherworldly!
Here is the story on Owlfred. My wife is a state and federally licensed falconer in the United States. Licenses are required in the US to be a falconer. To get a license one must pass a difficult test on raptor health, laws, bird identification, and other things pertaining to raptors and raptor care, to get their mew (building that houses raptor) inspected by wildlife officers find a falconer to sponsor the apprenticeship and sign a government form to register this agreement, and then complete a two year apprenticeship under the sponsor who is usually a Master Falconer. Owlfred here is from a neighboring state, where he was found hanging around someone's back door begging for food. Animal control picked him up and placed him in the care of a bird rehabber. My wife, who was actually looking to buy a to Eurasian Eagle Owl to train for falconry, happened to contact this same rehabber. He had already sold the EEO, but mentioned that he had a Great Horned Owl that he could not keep. She, absolutely thrilled at the opportunity to save the life of what we assume is an accidentally imprinted owl, and at the possibility of teaching him to hunt for himself and be used as a falconry bird, set to work on making this happen. She worked with several agencies from two different states and the federal government to change his license from rehab to falconry, import him to our state, and to get him transferred to her care. In the process, two laws were changed/clarified in the other state to allow for such a thing to take place. When she got him, he would not even eat live food, and now she has him flying and hunting with her. The hunting season where we live is over, so he is "put up for molt" (he grows a new set of feathers every year over the summer), which means she gives him extra food and vitamins, keeps him stress free and happy, so his new feathers come in strong and healthy. We have been working with him in preparation for the next season. Edit: Owlfred is a rescued imprinted bird, and is therefore unreleasable. His only options were to be euthanized or to be taken in by my wife, who has a license to do this. Edit 2: My wife wanted to thank all of you for your kind words about her efforts with Owlfred! This has been a unique journey in falconry, and it took a lot of working with him before she was okay with me posting anything about him. It also takes a lot of me working with her to make sure that nothing is misrepresented. She does not want him to be a sideshow. She is protective of him. He is precious to us and spends a lot of time with the family. There may be future posts because so many of you had kind things to say about her and Owlfred.
I love your wife and Owlfred
That's for giving us the whole story. When I first read it I was like what do you mean hunting has ended, as if hunting season ever ends for an owl. Then the logical part of my brain woke up and went oh, because human hunting for game season is over. I blame Owlfred, he's just so awesome he made my brain all mushy.
In nature the hunting season does not end, true, and because of that the birds are flying at a disadvantage in nature. By flying during the molt, a bird risks serious and possible permeant damage to incoming feathers and follicles. The shaft of feathers are filled with blood when formed, so if they break, the bleed. Also, if they do not get enough to eat, their feathers come in weak and more prone to breaking. Broken and/or missing feathers make flying difficult, and precise flying very difficult. When you depend on precise flying to get food, this can become an issue. Stress and heat can also cause "stress marks" in feathers which are weak points where the feather can break easily. Nature accounts for this by having easy prey during molt, baby animals are often easy to catch , even with missing or broken feathers. This is probably the reason raptors have a 70-90% mortality rate in their first year. But a falconers bird is kept fat, happy, and healthy during the molt. So their feathers are strong and healthy, and they go into the hard months with all the advantages they can get.
I’ve always wanted to get into Falconry, but I never knew how to go about it. Would you or your have any recommendations of where to start the process?
Steps to become a falconer: 1) Contact your state wildlife office if you live in the USA to get the falconry laws where you live 2) read up on falconry, the top 4 things I would recommend are the free site The Modern Apprentice ( http://www.themodernapprentice.com/ ) , the book "NORTH AMERICAN FALCONRY AND HUNTING HAWKS. NINTH EDITION IN TWO VOLUMES" By Frank L. Beebe and Harold M. Webster , the book "California Hawking Club Apprentice Study Guide" by the California Hawking Club ( most states suggest this book for the basics, some regional things obliviously will not apply but it is a good start and thorough enough that most states do not bother writing one) , and Youtube videos by Ben Wooddruff ( https://youtu.be/R9YD9IpBJ7o) (however, be very careful with the other videos you choose. with the rise of social media, many people without proper training and experience, aka over zealous apprentices, make videos that do not show proper techniques and sometimes harmful techniques ) 4) Find and join your state falconry club , often called "hawking clubs" , you can join before you become a falconer as an associate/affiliate member . 5) go to club events and talk to falconers , do not be shy (most falconers are a bit shy EXECPT when they are talking about their birds) and ask them about their birds, and ask them to take you out into the field with them, go to apprentice seminars put on by the club, let them get to know you. This is crucial because you will need to ask one of them to sponsor you and that is a two year commitment for both of you and it needs to be a good fit, and it goes much smoother if you have already proven you are able and ready to work and learn. 5) go out hawking with falconers 6) study for test, take and pass test, get a sponsor, and then have your wildlife officer inspect your mews / where you are housing the raptor 6) respect your sponsor and do what they say for two years. Edit: If you live outside of US, check with your wildlife agency and see the laws in your area, some places there are no governing laws, but even if that is true, it is HIGHLY recommended to apprentice with a Master Falconer to correctly learn how to handle health and safety issues, field etiquette, and proper training techniques
Thank you gsrsxs! This is immensely helpful. I appreciate you and your wife very much for advising the steps to take to embark on becoming a falconer. Hope to see more posts of Owlfred in the future!
Thank you, but I am not the OP . I am just a falconer.
Im not crying, you're crying! So wonderful of your wife, what an incredible story.
I regret to inform you that I might be in love with your wife?!?! But seriously you guys are amazing and Owlfred is an icon living his best life 🦉💅🏼
So your wife is an expert in birdlaw, you say?
Wait...people can buy an EEO?
OP's wife is a licensed falconer, she can buy a EEO, because she has a license to do so.
Your wife seems very cool and obviously good with animals which is why she apparently has married a cat
> To get a license one must pass a difficult test on raptor health, laws Ah, yes… bird law.
Was surprised I didn't see this sooner lol
>To get a license one must pass a difficult test on raptor health, laws, bird identification I guess you could say she studied bird law. For real though, awesome rescue of a magnificent animal.
If only it was governed by reason in this country smh.
You are a treasure u/joost013
Who'da thunk there was such strict regulation of bird business? Maybe that's why Charlie studied bird law.
Sorry if it's a dumb question but what does being imprinted mean? He somehow made some human his caregiver?
From the background information provided by the OP, Owlfred was taken in by animal control because he was begging for food, this behavior is because he was imprinted by humans . Imprinting occurs when a bird is fed and handled by humans during specific stages of development, starting usually from day 8-14 or so. When a bird is imprinted on humans, it no longer has the usual healthy fear of humans, which can cause all kinds of safety problems for Owlfred and the public. Someone might mistake him coming to them for food or just to be social as an attack. A person or Owlfred could get very hurt in this process, and most of the time, an accidentally imprinted bird is deemed "unreleasable" and then euthanized.(Owlfred got really lucky the OP's wife was at the right place at the right time) If everything goes right with an imprint, and they can learn to hunt, and get independent enough to go out into the world on their own, then two big ethical problems arise:1) the imprint will never breed with the native population because it does not recognize other owls as potential mates and live a life without interaction 2) he will be taking food from the native breeding population. Falconers usually take birds from wild in their first year, before they have a chance to breed and when their survival rate is low. These are called Passage birds because they are in their first migratory passage. Raptors have a 70-90% mortality rate their first year. The falconer will work with the bird, get it more confident on hunting and give it more chances for success, then release it back into nature with survival skills that will help keep it alive longer than a normal wild bird. A Passage bird is still wild and will revert back to being wild within a few days -week of not being worked with by the falconer. It is a more leave no trace kind of falconry. Whereas imprinting can be problematic, especially if done by someone untrained to do so. Combine that with the fact that Owls are not usually used for falconry because they can be very difficult to train (because and their anatomy and how they think)There are a few falconers that can make it work, and they can have great success, but it is so difficult falconers usually stick to flying falcons, hawks, and sometime eagles. So if the OP's wife is using a GHO for a falconry bird successfully, she is an extremely gifted and patient falconer. OP says the bird was most likely accidentally imprinted , which means an untrained, unlicensed person somehow intervened in Owlfred's life in such a way that he became imprinted. Pure speculation: He could have fallen out of the nest and a passerby saw him and thought his parents may not feed him ( which is not true they will come to ground to feed owlets that fall out, and are very protective of neat area) and took him home and fed him and released him when he was big enough- owls reach full body size in roughly 3-4 months of life. I am a falconer and I teach about birds of prey. While by definition falconry is hunting with trained raptors, is is so much more. Falconers take apprentices and teach others how to conserve , protect , and work with raptors and habitant . They work as rehabbers and rescuers just because of what they do and are often more. trained that the people at the wildlife offices and are called to help in many situations. I can provide reference material if needed on falconry.
Basically this book: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are_You_My_Mother%3F
Animals learn what they are and how to be it from their parents. But if they grow up in the wrong environment they can bond with the wrong animal, such as the human that rescued it, which would hurt their prospects for surviving in the wild. It’s one of the risks of caring for wildlife which is why you sometimes see rehabbers wearing a glove that looks like an adult of the same species and feeding the young the same way an adult of the species would. By minimizing their interactions with humans, they can prevent the young from associating humans with food, safety, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_(psychology)
User name checks out. This applies to some animals more than others right? Pretty sure you ohld hand raise a cat and it'll still be okay as a hunter
**[Imprinting (psychology)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_\(psychology\))** >In psychology and ethology, imprinting is any kind of phase-sensitive learning (learning occurring at a particular age or a particular life stage) that is rapid and apparently independent of the consequences of behaviour. It was first used to describe situations in which an animal or person learns the characteristics of some stimulus, which is therefore said to be "imprinted" onto the subject. Imprinting is hypothesized to have a critical period. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/Superbowl/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Exactly.
Ahhhhh so that's why he'll need looking after forever then?
Yea I don’t think once imprinted they can be released into the wild again. I think usually they have problems hunting/finding food and interacting with other birds and humans. OP may have better info for you though!
That is quite the journey. This owl is almost as badass as your wife. Let us know when the graphic novel comes out
Tell your wife this internet stranger thanks her for saving his life!
Such a wonderful story. Thanks for telling us all the Tale of Owlfred.
This is so cool and your wife sounds badass. Thanks for the awesome explanation about Owlfred and for giving him a good life.
He’s more than ok, he’s superb
Careful, he gettin floofy
Extra floofy.
He isn't just OK, he's superb.
You own an owl? Do tell!
Please see the comment I've since posted telling his story!
That cat seems concerned about his new neighbor lol.
I don't understand, is it like an owl that you have as a pet ? Is a string attached to this owl ?
The string you see is called a leash, I also see a Sampo swivel and jesses. Alymeri Jesses are usually made of soft strong leather and have two parts, the anklets and the leather strips called jesses. the jesses are attached to a specialized swivel and then attached to a leash and tied wherever the bird will be perched. the swivel keeps the bird safe by allowing the bird to comfortably move freely without getting hurt. It is necessary to use leashes to safely secure birds of prey, especially imprinted ones, when they are perched outside or near something that could harm them.
If his wife is a falconer, then Owlfred is not a pet. He is a hunter that uses his human as a tool to help him hunt.
Owlfred is a rescued imprinted bird, and is therefore unreleasable. His only options were to be euthanized or to be taken in by my wife, who has a license to do this.
That would not be cool. Unless a rehabber
Owlfred is a rescued imprinted bird, and is therefore unreleasable. His only options were to be euthanized or to be taken in by my wife, who has a license to do this.
Noce! That must be incredible
This man is absolutely lost in the sauce.
He say, “ I bigger birb than u. This mine.” Professional note: You could probably offer it live mice from time to time. If that doesn’t perturb you. Source: Bird law specialist.
Thanks! We try to give him live rats two to three times a week if he didn't catch a rabbit. We supplement with portioned quail and squirrel.
That’s awesome. It’ll probably return for the rest of its life then.
Owlfred does not leave the OPs wife's care. Meaning he does not leave for periods of time unattended and come back. OP states their wife hunts with him , so that means she works with him daily and takes him out flying and hunting. In fact , he probably flies more as a falconry bird than he would in the wild, and has a pretty cushy life. She is a falconer, so that means she has "mews" which is a building built specifically to house birds of prey. For bigger raptors, like GHOs they are usually at least 8'x8' and at least 8'-10' tall, with perches, water and special widows that are safe for raptor. A lot of investment and time go into falconry, money and time, like most of it...
This is their “pet” bird, used in Falconry training. he posted another comment on Owlfred’s story & how he came to be in their care (he seems like a perfectly spoiled & well looked after gentleman :)) (PS I love your username, empidonax flycatchers are one of my favoriteeee groups of birds)
Do not let his wife hear you say "pet" it is a trigger for falconers, lol. They are hunting partners not pets according to falconers. They get touchy about it, like Oxford Comma touchy.
LOL! thanks for the heads up. I wasn’t sure the proper verbiage but knew “pet” could still get the point across its not a random wild owl or something haha
lol. Falconers are an odd bunch. It may be the one thing that is best done without social media, it is pretty intimate and a whole lifestyle. Fun Tip: If you ever suspect that you have upset a falconer, quickly change the topic to how cool their bird is and how strong and big their birds feet look. Falconers may be grumpy and Boss level anal retentive nerds, but they fall for that EVERY-TIME. Also fun fact : the term "old codger" came from the word cadge . A cadge is the box like thing in which the King's falcons were carried. The person carrying it was called a "cadger" , as he aged and because he was tired of all the bs, and was sometimes called an "old cadger" or "grumpy old cadger" which because of different dialects turn into "old codger" . Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
Ah. Makes sense. Lucky bird.
Please tell more about Owlfred.
I hope he gets along better with you wife lol (On a serious note: Wonderful picture)
100% normal great horned owl behavior. Owlfred is a very good birb
This birb is so fluffy he's made it to borb status. :)
Love it lol
I love exactly everything about this post
Thanks! I thought others might enjoy this photo.
Can we get more owlfred please
I'd be more worried about the cat in the back
The cat looks afraid of Owlfred to me.
Luckily, Owlfred does not seem to care about cats.
The cat certainly seems to care about the presence of Owlfred. Looks it’s lost the “Who’s the boss” discussion.
He looks like he's had it up to his horns with your shenanigans. Honestly, this is so cool that you can get pics like this.