Flying free
Northsong releases great horned owl back into wild
GENTRY — A great horned owl was released back into the wild Sunday after being nursed back to health following an infestation by flukes, a type of parasitic worm.
The owl was released along the Eagle Watch Trail in Gentry by Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation, working in connection with Lynn Sciumbato, founder and operator of the Morning Star Rehabilitation Center near Gravette. Sciumbato said she has the federal permit needed to house and rehabilitate wild birds, along with more than 35 years of experience in caring for sick and injured wildlife.
Emily Henrichs Warman, a Bentonville veterinarian and founder of Northsong, provides needed veterinary services for Sciumbato and is working to establish Northsong to continue the services Sciumbato has been providing in Northwest Arkansas for more than three decades.
The great horned owl was brought in for treatment on April 4, according to Warman, and, after several weeks of treatment and rehabilitation, was considered ready to be returned to the wild, parasite free.
After talking about the great horned owl and its nature as a hunter of small animals and other birds and showing the bird to the small crowd which came out to watch the release, Warman transferred the owl into the hands of her husband and a volunteer for Northsong, Chase Henrichs. After a countdown, the owl was launched into the air. It flew partway across the lake and perched in a dead tree to have a look around and then flew off into the distance.
According to its website, Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation was created in December 2020 as a nonprofit organization with the mission of creating a medical and rehabilitation center located in the Northwest Arkansas region. The organization is supported by donations and the work of volunteers.
SWEPCO, which owns and operates the Flint Creek Power Plant in Gentry and established the Eagle Watch Nature Trail, has been a supporter of Northsong’s efforts to establish an ongoing rehabilitation center for wild birds in northwest Arkansas.
Visit https://www.northsongbird.org for more information on Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation.