Minnesota Wildlife Rehab Center Shares Troubling Stats, Plea To Public Amid Owl Irruption

A well-publicized uptick in owls being seen around Northern Minnesota has prompted an important message and plea to the public from a wildlife rehabilitation center.

As you've probably heard by now, there has been a surge in the number of owls being seen in parts of Northern Minnesota, including north of Duluth and in the Two Harbors area.

This surge, or "irruption" is being caused by a lack of food in their normal winter homes in Canada, leading to a migration to places like Northern Minnesota.

While this is making bird watchers and photographers happy, it is also causing some sad problems for the owls.

Wildwood Animal Rehabilitation Center in Duluth recently shared a social media post that explains that the publicity of this owl irruption is leading to increased owl-person interactions  - and many of them in the Northland have had bad outcomes.

In total, Wildwoods usually admits about 30 owls during a normal calendar year. Since January 1 of this year, they've already seen a total of 21, all of which needed some kind of care. The three owls in the image at the top of this post are among those they have cared for.

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In addition, there have been several calls to Wildwoods about dead owls, many of which have been seen near roadways.

Wildwoods is first and foremost asking people to watch out for owls. They often are perched along roadways, looking for food like mice and other rodents. Of the 21 owls they've admitted, at least 18 owls were hit by a vehicle. Being aware while driving down roads can hopefully help avoid a collision with an owl.

In addition to this, Wildwoods is asking birders and photographers to keep your distance if you see one of these owls while out and about. They explain that crowds of people can create issues for the owls. They say groups of people can "cause undue stress and a loss of calories that is harmful to already hungry (and in some cases, starving) owls".

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Locals in the Two Harbors area have also shared frustration about groups of vehicles parking dangerously along narrow roadways while trying to catch a glimpse or photo of these owls, adding an additional element on top of what Wildwoods is letting the public know about.

That said, being mindful of all of these things can help these visiting owls out quite a bit.