Owl Be There For You: DOT Worker Saves Owl That Flew Into His Windshield

Yet another owl has been saved in New York thanks to the kindness of a local DOT worker.

New York State Department of Transportation maintenance supervisor Jim Williamson was out patrolling the roads in Schuyler County on Tuesday when he heard a thump on his windshield. He pulled over and found an Eastern screech owl, a tiny predator small enough to fit into the palm of his hand. Naturally, the bird was stunned from the impact, but Williamson took care of it until it was conscious enough and able to fly on its own. The owl was then released outside back into its natural habitat.

Amazing work, Jim!

Just last month, an injured owl was saved from the middle of a street in Oneida County.

Rome resident Amanda King credits fate with how she came across the owl in front of her home. She said she and her family were on their way to some races on Saturday when they found out they were canceled. On the way home, they decided to stop for some food, but the restaurant they went to couldn't seat all of them together because of COVID restrictions. Just when it started to seem like a series of unfortunate events, King left her home to pick up food for takeout when she saw the owl in the middle of Lowell Road.

She scooped him up and into the safety of her car, and after a quick detour to pick up food for her family, King brought the owl home.

"It was just meant to be I guess," King said. "Had the races not been canceled and us not willing to separate our family for dinner who knows what would have happened to this beautiful creature!"

She started searching for a place to bring the owl for treatment and eventually got connected to Judy Cusworth from Woodhaven Wildlife Center, who said the male barred owl had a severe break above a joint in his leg and would require surgery, but that he was okay. Cusworth took the owl in immediately, and transported him to Cornell for surgery the following day.

King shared pictures and videos of her time with the owl before she was able to hand him over to Cusworth, and said the experience was "wild."

"[It] makes you humble yourself quite a bit, looking into the eyes of something so beautiful, seeing how perfect every line on his body was, and how affectionate this guy actually was," King wrote on Facebook.