Imagine being out at sea. All around you everything is water. The swell rolls by over and over and over. Now imagine that you’re an owl. A Short-eared owl as a matter of fact. Luckily the fishing vessel FV Sidewinder offered a safe haven 90 miles off Shelter Cove. Exhausted, the lucky owl roosted on the vessel. The surprised fishermen offered the owl a box for shelter and a bit of canned dog food. According to the fishermen, the owl landed gratefully, ate a bit of food and then promptly fell asleep.
As strange as this may seem, it is not unusual. Birds often land on fishing vessels for a temporary rest, moving on when they’re ready. Short-eared owls are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica and are endemic to both the Galapagos and Falkland islands. One owl was tracked to have flown 500 miles across the Gulf of Alaska without stopping.
The Humboldt Wildlife Care Center takes in over 800 animals every year. Our volunteers answer the hotline and care for animals 365 days a year. Unlike many rehabilitation centers we don’t close for the winter. For us, winter is seabird and raptor season. Volunteers at the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center deal with many wild creatures everyday. We do this because we care deeply about wildlife and we see the need to make up for the impact our society has on nature. The Humboldt Wildlife Care Center has been helping wildlife for over thirty years. We need your donations to keep this organization going.
The owl stayed with the fishermen for a day when a massive storm blew in. Knowing the owl would have trouble in the storm they were able to catch the owl and motored into Eureka. Rex Olander and Justine Bruce, a chubby blue-healer named Epo, and the strong smell of fish greeted our primary rehabber, Amanda Auston, at the dock. She brought the owl back to the center along with a gift of donated fish for our seabirds and a bag of doggie treats that was enjoyed by an injured porcupine we are caring for. At the center its weight was down 25% from an average weight of twelve ounces. Over the next few weeks the owl gained weight steadily, at first eating two mice a day, later four or five every day. As it gained back its strength the owl became more difficult to handle, returning to its wild nature.
The Humboldt Wildlife Care Center is supported entirely by the public. We receive no state, or federal funding whatsoever. We exist because you donate. Our current budget is around $50,000 a year. With this we pay for veterinary bills, food, medicine, caging and other more mundane costs: heat, electricity, gas, insurance, water (we do up to 4-5 loads of laundry every day). We also have two part time employees now, an office manager and an executive director/primary rehabilitator. In the next year we hope to raise enough additional funding to hire a full time rehabber. This would allow us to improve animal care and help our volunteers get a more fulfilling experience. We need your help to continue doing our work. Please send in your donation today, or go to humwild.org and donate online.
The sky was glowing as sunset approached on the evening of the Short-eared owl’s release. We always try to release an animal in the same area it came to us from, but where do you release an owl that was lost at sea? Short-eared owls prefer open spaces and have been spotted in the Arcata Bottoms. As our volunteers walked into the field the owl clung to the door of the crate. Did it know it was about to be released? After the door was opened the owl took its time before suddenly taking flight. Our owl circled around, landed on the ground, then flew again, finally roosting up in a tree. As the sun went down and the color left the sky a barn owl flew by during the walk back to the car.
The Humboldt Wildlife Care Center has accomplished a lot this last year. We have a brand new website humwild.org which we update regularly. Donations can now be made online and you can even adopt one of our animal ambassadors online. This would make a fabulous holiday gift! Every little bit helps. We need you to donate whatever you can, whether it is $5, $500, or $5000. Please take the time to support us this holiday season.
Thank You,
John H. Kelsey
HWCC Board President.
P.S. We are trying to raise an extra $30,000 this year and next year to commit to hiring a full time rehabber. The HWCC Board members have already committed to increase their level of support for this cause. If you can give extra this year please help us reach this goal.
Carson, and the rest of the Ed team will be at the Farms Store on Saturday the 24th for the Pet Fair. Come join us and see these incredible animals up close. There are going to be a number of fun events put on by the Farm Store. To see more click 
Monday August 22 we released a young peregrine falcon. He was found in Orick earlier in the summer with a severe wing injury. He recovered well and is now free in the wild. For a video of the release click 
Our fantastic chest is now on display at Arcata Animal Hospital. Please stop by and check it out. Tickets are available for purchase. Arcata Animal Hospital is located in Arcata at 1300 Giuntoli ln. More information on the chest