Four of the three dozen baby owls arrived at an Ojai raptor hospital after venturing out of a Simi Valley nesting box too early. Another baby was found not moving in a West Hills backyard.
Many of the newborn and toddler owls were blown out of their nests by the Santa Ana winds that gusted at 65 mph in mid-March. They ended up in the care ward of the 24-year-old Ojai Raptor Center, treated for fractures and fed mice by caretakers and volunteers who speak only in whispers and wear camouflage covering their bodies and faces.
It is spring, a time of year summed up by the sign on a door of the nonprofit wildlife rehab site. “Baby on Board,” it says.
This is only the beginning. The baby great horned owls with yellow spotlight eyes show up first, followed by barn owls, some just weeks old and still covered with downy fluff. Then come the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks along with small falcons called kestrels that have face markings resembling mascara. There will be screech owls, and in June, Cooper’s hawks.