OKEECHOBEE — Robin Myers Hayes shared this story: “Taking nature photos is an awesome thing to be able to do. Sometimes nature needs a little help. Bill (William D. Register) was driving me home Sunday night when we saw something in the road, perhaps a dog just sitting there. As we got a little closer, Bill said, ‘Nope, that’s an owl.’ It didn’t even attempt to fly or run away. The street we were on is traveled often by speeding cars and surely this owl would get hit. Bill made a quick decision to get the owl and get it some help. I’m thinking this isn’t going to end well, but to my surprise Bill handled the owl with ease. It was too late to get help, so we put it in a cage for the night to keep it safe. I called today to see if someone would come and get it. We were asked to bring it in. I thought Bill would get a nasty bite trying to remove it from the cage, but thankfully, that didn’t happen. He was able to easily remove it, and it even climbed on Bill’s arm. It was calm. I don’t think it liked being covered up with a towel for the ride to Sue Arnold’s Wildlife Rescue, but that’s what they recommended we do for the owl’s safety. It’s a wonderful experience to be able to help this beautiful barred owl out.

Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center had the owl transferred to Treasure Coast Wildlife Center for further evaluation. It turns out that Register was spot-on correct; our feathered friend has a broken wing. Luckily it is a clean break, and everything else appears to be very healthy. He will get to be released once the wing is healed.