Marianna Buescher and Robyn Blosh
“You never know where a photoshoot might lead,” were the thoughts that raced through Carol Martin’s mind when she arrived for her daily photo session with the owl nest on hole 7 at the SunBird Golf Resort. Her husband George quickly searched for what to do when a baby owl has fallen from the nest. They ran home, grabbed a towel, hummingbird food, and a water dispenser, and headed back to the nest. George wrapped the owl tightly in a towel. Carol watched with an eagle eye to see if the parents were going to swoop in to try to protect their baby. The wildlife preserve was called while trying to get plenty of nourishment into the tiny owl.
He fell approximately 30 feet, and nobody knows how long he was on the rocks in the hot sun. Gene and Deb Zimmerly welcomed them onto their patio to wait for the wildlife preserve volunteer. Friends came by to offer moral support and food alternatives. He was just interested in the hummingbird food. Kendall Ronning came by and got some photos of the sweet babe. Deb video chatted with her family, and their grandson named him Talon. The wildlife volunteer arrived about 90 minutes later and indicated that he looked great. He was well-hydrated and ready to take a nice snooze. Talon was transported to the wildlife preserve, he will be raised by a surrogate, and he will make a full recovery.
Thank you, Carol and George, for saving this amazing little owl. You demonstrate what makes SunBird such a great place to live!