Pair of baby owls who left nest a little too soon rescued in Milwaukee

A good Samaritan in Milwaukee knew two baby owls needed help when they were spotted on the ground being “harassed” by some crows.

That’s when the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at the Wisconsin Humane Society swooped into action.

It seems the pair of Eastern Screech owlets were just about ready fly, but may have jumped from their nest a “tad too early,” the humane society posted on social media Monday.

The owlets weren’t quite ready to fly. Photo: Wisconsin Humane Society/Facebook

They owlets were brought to the facility’s outdoor rehab area — keeping in mind safety precautions for the highly transmissible avian influenza outbreak that has swept across North America.

The pair stayed there for a few days before a plan was hatched to reunite them with their parents.

Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control helped the humane society facilitate the return to the wild.

“Eastern Screech Owls are cavity-nesters, so the team wasn’t looking for a ‘nest’ necessarily, but a hole in a tree or a hollow branch,” the humane society explained.

“Through some great observational skills, they found the *exact* location where the babies had hatched, and there was even a third owlet still in the cavity!” it added.

The fallen birds were placed in the nest with the third baby owl.

“Couldn’t ask for a better ending than that,” the humane society said. “It truly takes a village to raise a family, and this Eastern Screech Owl family is no exception.”

The humane society also used the rescue as a teachable moment.

“Before you decide that old tree is too ugly for your yard, if it’s not at risk of falling down and damaging any property, consider letting it stay there,” the group said. “It absolutely is providing habitat and shelter for wildlife, perhaps even owls like these!”

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Recovering newspaper reporter.

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