The great horned owl was trapped inside a newly constructed house, breaking most of its flight feathers in the frantic, but futile attempt to escape. Despite the lack of other injuries, we knew the owl would need several months to molt in new feathers before it could fly and hunt in the wild. It was already late summer 2008, and we hoped she could return to the wild in early 2009.

But there was a problem - new feathers would start to grow in, only to pinch off and fall out prematurely. And Nature had other plans for her: during her enforced stay, the owl took on a path different from most patients. She was housed with young, orphaned great horned owls, and she took on the role of foster mom, serving as role model for the youngsters to behave appropriately hissy and bitey around humans. Dozens of young owls learned the ways of the world under her tutelage, attended "rat school", proved their flying and hunting skills, and earned their second chance at freedom.

Finally – after 3 years – she started growing healthy new feathers. She got her chance at "rat school", quickly proving her hunting prowess, and on October 10, 2011, she touched the skies once again. But she helped many young owls before she left us.

Stories like this remind us that our work never ends – the birds need care year-round. There's no guarantee that any of the hundreds of raptors that come to us each year sick and broken will ever fly again. But because of you - hundreds have been released and more are on their way to a full recovery BECAUSE YOU WANTED THEM TO LIVE, and understand why our work is so vital.

Please continue your support today so that we can release more birds tomorrow.

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