Owl Is Kicked out of Its Nest at the Arnold Arboretum
Welcome to Weirdest Thing of the Week, where…well, we point out weird things.
The housing market in Boston is tough these days, even for baby great horned owls.
This week, a little guy was kicked out of his nest at the Arnold Arboretum not once, but twice. The first time, he was found at the base of a tree in the park, and the Animal Rescue League was called in to help.
Baby great horned owl on ground @ArnoldArboretum. Could not get to nest, so put into a faux nest in the tree on Sun. pic.twitter.com/TOL83KRfGk
— Animal Rescue League (@ARLBostonRescue) April 5, 2016
Boston.com reported state wildlife officials told the Animal Rescue League to put the baby owl in a fake nest nearby if it wasn’t possible to return the owl to its own nest. A makeshift nest was created from a laundry basket and a towel. The owl was plopped in on Sunday.
When Monday arrived, snowy weather rolled in, so the league decided to return the owl to its true home.
Due to concerns about the weather, went back to @ArnoldArboretum to relocate baby owl to the nest. Mom was watching. pic.twitter.com/vkcvvxZfmE
— Animal Rescue League (@ARLBostonRescue) April 5, 2016
The owl was successfully placed back in the nest with his two siblings. But just as the Animal Rescue League was about to head out, they were told a baby bird was found on the ground. It was the same owl. Again.
“It was a very small nest,” Mike Brammer, an official from the league, told Boston.com. “We’re assuming at this point that the siblings kicked it back out.”
Tough luck. Perhaps the owl is a terrible brother. Or his plans for escape were foiled. Either way, he was taken to the Blue Hills Trailside Museum, where it’ll be taken care of until it’s old enough to be released. Happy trails.
Have you noticed funky happenings lately? Tell me about them: mbilis@bostonmagazine.com,@madelinebilis.
