From The Rockefeller Christmas Tree The Tiniest Stowaway Is Rescued

After a 75-foot Norway spruce from Oneonta, New York, was chosen as the Rockefeller Christmas tree, a small stowaway nearly caught a journey to Manhattan.

A small brown and white owl lived in the tree, but no one spotted him until it was taken down. Fortunately, before the Rockefeller tree was delivered, a worker who works for the firm that carries and secures the tree saw the hitchhiker hidden up in the branches.

“I got a call from someone who wanted to know if we take in owls for rehabilitation. In a Facebook post, Ravensbeard Wildlife Center said, “I answered, ‘Yes we do.'” “After a little pause, she answered, ‘OK, I’ll phone back when my husband gets home; he’s put the baby owl in a box snuggled in for the long journey.’”

When a Ravensbeard Wildlife Center employee took up the owl, he found it wasn’t a baby at all, but an adult Saw-whet owl, the smallest owl in the Northeast. These owls, which are about the size of a robin and sleep in the trunks of evergreen trees, are typically difficult to see.

The young owl was famished and dehydrated after three days without food or drink. But, thanks to the wildlife center’s care, he swiftly recovered.

“With all he’s gone through, his eyes are bright, and [he] appears comparatively in decent condition,” Ravensbeard Wildlife Center said. “He’ll be free to go on his wild and beautiful voyage after he checks in with the vet and receives a clean bill of health.”

When the owl has healed entirely, he will be released on the grounds of the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center, where he will be able to pick from a variety of trees for his new home. Returning him to his original territory would be too upsetting, especially because Saw-whet owls are known for their ability to discover new territories.

Thanks to a kind stranger with a large heart, the young owl, now known as Rockefeller, will be able to live out the remainder of his days in the wild. The Ravensbeard Wildlife Center commented, “Our hearts go out to all those ‘behind the scenes’ employees.” “Thank you very much for preserving ‘Rockefeller!'”