A sad 'who-cooks-for-you' follow up report

Last week we reported on an injured barred owl that was rescued at Ijams along the Universal Trail.

(The photo to the left was taken last year near the same location.)

Once captured, our veterinarian Dr. Louise Conrad took the owl to UT vet hospital to be examined.

One week later, Louise and Pam Petko-Seus, our wildlife biologist, report that, "The barred owl had a severe fracture of both the radius and ulna of the wing. Had it been one or the other bone, they would have attempted to save the bird. With both bones broken, there is nothing to hold the wing steady. The amount of 'repair' the bones were exhibiting leads us to be pretty sure the timing was right for a storm injury. The bird would have continued to starve to death had we not found it."

The injured owl had to be euthanized at the vet school.

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Injured Ijams barred owl rescued by staff

Ijams is noted for at least two wild barred owls (Strix varia), so accustomed to seeing people that they tend to be found perched low to the ground often near the Visitor Center.

This makes them very photogenic. Even a photographer with a short lens can usually get a good shot.

Yesterday, an injured barred owl was found on a branch near the Universal Trail. Its wing hung useless at its side. Was it injured in last week's hailstorm? Possibly.

Hoping to encourage it to move to the ground, Ijams staffers Paul Forsyth and Jennifer Roder nudged it with a downed branch Paul found on the ground. Instead the owl, perhaps weak from hunger, stepped up on the makeshift fishing pole, which allowed Paul and Jen to slowly lower it to our vet, Dr. Louise Conrad, who waited below.

Louise took the owl to UT's Veterinarian Teaching Hospital for treatment. No word yet on its condition.

Was it the same barred owl I photographed near the plaza four weeks ago? Perhaps. But let's hope not because that one is so laid-back it doesn't mind paparazzi.

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Spring explodes with color at the nature center

Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is now in bloom at the nature center. Considered either a tall shrub or a short tree—you can decide that one—the light to dark magenta flowers appear before the heart-shaped leaves.

Found throughout the Southeast, with Tennessee being at the center of its range, redbud is the first blast of intense color to explode in Appalachia. Found naturally in the understory of mixed forests and along hedgerows of farmland, redbud makes an excellent native landscape ornamental, a far better and more colorful choice than the non-native Bradford pear (imported originally from China and Korea).

At Ijams, look for redbud anywhere inside the park. And if you are truly lucky, you might even find a barred owl sitting in one.

Spring is most certainly found at Ijams.

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales