Bird Cams Around the World

It turns out that the Mothball Fleet, a collection of abandoned warships in Suisun Bay, is host to an unexpected aviary.

Sandy Plate, a volunteer with the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, recently boarded a rusted-out oiler to save a barn owl. Aboard the vessels, she witnessed nests of other birds who made their home on the ships -- purportedly raccoons and even an opossum have been found in the "ghost fleet…."

The bird had taken flight from a large hole on the ship where it was living in when it landed on an osprey's nest. The osprey had cornered the owl and was preparing to attack it when crews at the Mothball Fleet found the owl.

Plate took a small boat out to the large ship and climbed aboard to find the owl hiding above a cabinet. She was able to grab the owl, which was not hurt but was a fledgling that had not yet mastered flying. It could have drowned if it had landed on the water, she said. The barn owl is likely male, though wildlife experts are not completely sure…

The bird, now at the museum's wildlife hospital in Walnut Creek, was treated for insects in its ears, said Polly Gusa, Lindsay's barn owl species manager. At the hospital, the owl receives medication and eats about six mice a day…

On Wednesday, workers brought the 11-week white-faced owl with deep-set eyes out of its carrier to record its weight, which is about 400 grams. The owl made a hissing, screaming sound as though someone was strangling a cat. Gusa said it was being defensive.

With gloved hands, technicians stuck a tube attached to a syringe deep into the owl's throat to hydrate it.

Within the next few days, museum officials will check on the owl's progress by freeing live rodents in front of him and seeing whether it still has its predatory nature to scoop up prey. The owl likely will be released in Benicia, near where he was rescued, within a few weeks….

The museum usually sees about 150 barns owls a year, said Susan Heckly, wildlife rehabilitation director. A couple of barn owls also are on display at the museum.

In the central United States, barn owls are becoming endangered, as there are fewer barns for them to live in, Heckly said. In California, they thrive mainly because they have adapted to living in palm trees --and apparently boats in Suisun Bay, she added.

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