Snowy owl rescued by Minnesota woman who saved another bird the same day
DULUTH, Minn. — A northern Minnesota woman is being praised for rescuing not one, but two owls in the same day and in two different locations.
"I've gotten 'owl girl' I've gotten 'owl whisperer,' I've gotten local celebrity," Annabell Whelan said.
Whelan knows it's unusual enough to see an owl during the day, let alone rescue one. So, what happened on Monday could be called a Christmas miracle involving owls.
"I saw it on the side of the road there in someone's driveway so I stopped, pulled over and turned around," Whelan said.
That was her first rescue. It happened around 11:00 a.m. when she spotted an injured great gray owl on the side of Highway 61, near Two Harbors. She called Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center who told her if she could safely avoid the talons, she should try and help.
"I finally snuck up next to him and gently dropped the blanket on him," said Annabell.
It was a successful save. But her day wasn't done. Six hours later she went to Bentleyville, about the last place you'd expect to find an owl.
While leaving the festivities she spotted a snowy owl stuck in someone's grille.
The driver didn't know what to do so Annabell borrowed a pair of gloves and saved her second raptor of the day. She took the snowy home and kept it in a dog kennel with plenty of blankets. The next morning, she made her second trip to the rehab center.
"Luckily I woke up and she was awake and it was like opening a present in the morning to see her turn slowly and look at me," Whelan said.
For her day job at the Lake Superior Zoo, Whelan is surrounded by owls, but she's never been as close to them as she was on Monday.