Photo By Bruce Cummins | PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Fire & Emergency Services Gulf Coast (F&ESGC) employee Chris...... read more read more
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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Fire and Emergency Services Gulf Coast (F&ESGC) personnel in conjunction with the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida rescued a juvenile Great Horned Owl on the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) AC Reid Golf Course onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola Feb. 23.
AC Reid Golf Course employee Steve Bobe noticed the downed owl nest on the golf course and contacted Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida Director Dorothy Kaufmann, informing the organization that one juvenile great horned owl had been recovered from the downed nest. Another owl, presumably a sibling of the rescued owl, was recovered near the downed nest, but was probably killed from the fall, Kaufmann said.
Bobe then transported the owl to the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, where Kaufmann examined the nestling. She determined the one-pound owlet, healthy and alert, could be re-nested, something the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida has accomplished in the past.
“The Wildlife Sanctuary has had many successful re-nestings of juvenile owls, but it takes team work,” she said. “We have always had great team work everyone on the Navy bases, and with the help of Steve and the Fire Rescue team, we were able to renest the owl. We couldn’t have asked for a better team.”
Kaufmann and Bobe assembled a makeshift nest for the juvenile owl, which was carried up an F&ESGC ladder to the tree from where the nest had presumably fallen. The nest was then securely fastened to the tree, and F&ESGC personnel carried the owl to the nest in a soft canvas bag. Kaufmann said the owlet’s mother will return.
“This is the best outcome you could ask for after a bad situation of a fallen nest,” Kaufmann said. “The base’s concern for the local wildlife in Pensacola has always been outstanding, and I’m thankful they help out in situations such as this.”
Stable in population, the Great Horned Owl, indigenous to North and South America, usually gravitates toward secondary-growth woodlands, swamps, orchards and agricultural areas. Although they generally adopt a nest built by another species, Great Horned Owls line the nest with shreds of bark, leaves, and feathers.
NAS Pensacola continuously observes the Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) Environmental Quality Program, of which conservation – the management of natural resources – is a key factor.
The Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida is a non-profit organization which works to provide appropriate care to injured or orphaned indigenous wildlife, providing medical care and fostering during recovery, and the rehabilitation and release of wildlife if possible. The organization works in cooperation with local, state and federal wildlife agencies.
NAS Pensacola, referred to as the "Cradle of Naval Aviation," is designed to support operational and training missions of tenant commands, including Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC), Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC), the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT), Marine Aviation Training Support Groups (MATSG) 21 and 23 and is the headquarters for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2019 15:08 |
| Story ID: | 312024 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 331 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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