A Wilson Owl Hit a Window in September. Here's How Teton Raptor Center Treated It

On September 28, a Northern Saw-whet Owl flew into a window in Wilson. When it arrived at Teton Raptor Center, it was lethargic, uncoordinated and unable to stand. The center's rehab coordinator described the case in a patient update posted October 9. The clinic team suspected head and spinal trauma, which they say is common with window strikes.

The owl is patient 26-154. It came from a house in this village, not from the backcountry or the highway shoulder. Right now the center on WY-22 has no public programs on its calendar, but the clinic is still taking in birds like this one. Many of them were hurt somewhere a person could have changed.

How the clinic treated owl 26-154

The care plan was simple and patient. The clinic team gave supportive care and anti-inflammatory medication, then set the owl in what rehabbers call a "donut" so it could right itself. After a few days it was perching on and off and eating on its own. Next the team started cold laser therapy for inflammation, a few minutes a day with break days in between, and used physical therapy on the off days to keep its muscles moving. As of the October 9 update, the owl was improving and the center said it would keep posting progress.

The same update covered two other birds:

• Sharp-shinned Hawk 26-141 was found grounded in Jackson on September 15 with a fractured right ulna. The team wrapped the fracture in a figure-8 wrap and hid the medication in its food, because this species is high-strung and stresses easily in care.
• Swainson's Hawk 90 had a broken left ulna that healed with a wing wrap, supportive care and flight training. A Raptor Rescue Network volunteer released it in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on September 30. It was the center's last Swainson's Hawk release before migration, timed so the bird could head south with others of its kind.

The center invites anyone who wants news on a patient that wasn't in a weekly update to email [email protected] with the species and patient number.

The pause covers programs, not patients

The Teton Raptor Center program calendar opens with a plain line: "No programs from November 1-15." The injured-bird page says the Raptor Hotline takes calls from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 365 days a year.

So the program schedule stops for two weeks while the clinic keeps working. Even in a normal week, the programs page notes, the birds are not on public display, and booking a program is the way to meet them.

The center's rehabilitation page says most of its patients face human-caused problems: vehicle and window collisions, electrocution, pet attacks, gunshot, traps, and lead and rodenticide poisoning. Window collisions are on that list, and in Wilson, homeowners can fix their windows.

The glass is where Wilson homes come in

Teton Raptor Center has published its own window safety guidance. It recommends adhesive dots spaced at 2-inch intervals, which it calls the minimum spacing needed to break up the reflections birds see.

American Bird Conservancy's guide for homes sets the same 2-inch limit and adds detail on size and placement:

The first row matters most for a mountain house. Big panes facing a view of the range and a feeder hung across from a living room window both match ABC's description of the glass to treat first. A home with one window that birds have hit before already knows where to start. Spacing is the detail people tend to get wrong. One decal in the middle of a wide pane doesn't meet the 2-inch standard either organization describes.

If a bird ends up on your deck

The September owl reached care because someone acted. Teton Raptor Center lists the steps on its Found an Injured Bird page:

1. Take a photo.
2. Note the location.
3. Get help. The Report a Raptor Emergency form is the fastest way to reach the center. You can also call 307-203-2551 ext. 1, or call or text 307-203-2551, though the center says those replies will be much slower. The hotline is staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
4. Don't offer food or water. Injured raptors are often dehydrated or emaciated, and the center warns that food or water may kill them.
5. Don't touch the bird unless a professional tells you to. The less contact it has with people, the better its chances, and the center says stress is deadly for these birds.

The center also warns that even a badly injured raptor that seems helpless can be dangerous. A frightened bird may treat you as a threat, so watch out for the beak and talons. A young bird on the ground may be a fledgling that should stay where it is with its parents. The center asks you to call if you see blood or an open wound. For other wildlife, it refers callers to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department at 307-777-4600.

The Raptor Rescue Network connects Wyoming Game and Fish, veterinarians, rehabilitation centers and volunteer drivers. Volunteers sometimes carry injured birds hundreds of miles to care, and the page has a sign-up link for new rescuers. A network volunteer released Swainson's Hawk 90 in Idaho Falls.

When the programs return

Public programs come back on Thursday, November 19. The center's public Raptor Encounters run Thursdays and Fridays at 11 a.m. through May 31, 2027, and require advance registration. The Thursday program, Masters of the Sky, covers raptor characteristics and basic ecology, and you meet three to four of the center's avian ambassadors. The Friday program, Masters of Survival, focuses on adaptations such as talons and eyesight.

Here is the calendar through year's end:

Talons at Trailborn takes place at Trailborn Jackson Hole Resort, not at the Wilson campus. It's a free hour with a couple of the ambassador birds. Little Wings Story Time is for children ages 0 to 4 and pairs stories and songs with a visit from a live raptor. Because dates can move, check the calendar before you go.

Two evenings at the barn

Two December evenings are the easiest way back in for neighbors. Winter Wings & Holiday Cheer runs from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2, and Wednesday, December 16. Entry is free, there's a chance to meet a raptor from 4 to 5 p.m., and you can have a drink and shop for holiday gifts. The campus is centered on the restored Moseley/Hardeman Barn, which opened in July 2023 after the center's capital campaign.

The November evening is a different kind of event. At the free Featherside Chat on November 19, violinist Holly Mulcahy, concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, will talk about Stealing from Birds. The violin concerto by composer Daniel Perttu weaves bird calls and themes into the music, and Mulcahy worked with Perttu while he wrote it. The center says its resident raptors will be there too.

Until then, the clinic's hotline stays staffed every day. For the latest on owl 26-154 since the October 9 update, email [email protected] with the species and the number 26-154.

At Regan Peterman, we appreciate the people and places that make Wilson feel like home, from the barn on WY-22 to the neighbors who stop for a grounded owl. If you're thinking about how your Wilson home's big windows and views will come across to buyers, we'd be glad to schedule a private consultation.