Kindness of Strangers

(Western Screech Owl)

Imagine this little gal resting on the back of your wrist, standing a mere eight inches tall and expectantly staring at you with her enormous eyes. That would make my day.

But this Western Screech Owl has a back story that makes her especially memorable. At probably a very young age, she slammed into a friend’s brother’s window a couple of years ago. Luckily for her, that brother, Mark, found her, ascertained that she was injured, and watched over her until his wife, Patrice, identified a nearby wildlife rescue organization and arranged a rescue. The owl recovered but her injury prohibited her being released into the wild. She’d never be able to hunt on her own again.

Today, she’s gained a name, Pixie, and resides as an education wildlife ambassador at the Wild Wings Raptor Recovery Center in Northwest Montana.