Check out this kind Victor, Montana Momma as she works to save a Great Grey Owl that found itself trapped in a barbed-wire fence. It’s a brave undertaking!
So, whoooo is this courageous gal? It’s Heather Jessop and her daughter, dressed for the outdoors, that take on this not-for-the-faint-of-heart task. Watch as they calmly, but not tentatively, approach the owl in distress.
This Great Grey Owl’s right-wing has become hung up on the top line of the fence, and the bird rests its body on the middle line. There is a bit of conversation as the two near the owl, but a nearby vehicle’s motor makes it hard to clearly understand those first comments.
Heather examines the wing where it has become tangled in the sharp metal points, and it’s hard to imagine that those barbs aren’t hitting against Heather as she tends to the owl. At about 20 seconds, Mr. Yellow Eyes becomes flustered, if not freaked out. He thrashes and releases his hold on the lower line, and Heather positions herself alongside the owl, securing it with her left arm.
While the Great Grey Owl is not the heaviest of owls, it is the largest in terms of length. While the average weight of one of these birds is around 2.0 pounds, the average length is slightly over 2 feet and the wingspan can measure up to 5 feet. So, handling the frightened creature with bare hands would no doubt be intimidating!
The owl’s eyes are fascinating, and Heather’s daughter giggles as it looks at her mom—the owl probably torn literally between fight or flight! Heather tries to determine if the owl’s skin is punctured or if the feathers are merely furrowed in the steel trap.
Heather shifts the owl from her left to right hand and continues working to free their new friend, she and her daughter assuring Mr. Yellow Eyes that he’s okay and they are sorry. Filming with one hand, Heather’s daughter pets the owl with her hair-banded hand.
75 seconds into the video, the owl looks right into the camera! It's hard to know what it’s thinking because the expression is unchanging. Fear, anger, surprise! How would one know?
Next, there is a crackle that the teen thinks sounds bad, and it does. But, the owl doesn’t seem hurt. However, Mom Heather is taking a few painful licks during the whole saving process. It’s similar to what lifeguards experience in a drowning situation. The victim may very well pull the savior under in their fear!
Heather’s girl offers to try, but that’s a “no.” The owl then clamps onto Heather’s fingers with its talons, and after waiting that out for a moment, Heather asks for gloves. The video ends as her daughter goes to retrieve them.
The story does have a happy ending even though that isn’t caught on video. Heather stuck with it and eventually freed the Great Grey Owl to fly again.
Way to go, Mountain Momma! You gave your time, energy, and a bit of skin to help the owl out of a prickly fix!
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26