Couple’s bond with owl family in Oliver comes to shocking end
Man appeals for changes to wiring on power poles following electrocution of 2 fledglings growing up in nest outside window
An Oliver man is making a plea to FortisBC to change wiring on power poles after he and his wife saw two owl fledglings electrocuted.
Donald Lawlor said he and his wife, Maria, were fortunate to witness two great horned owls nest in a tree outside their window a couple of months ago and later become adoptive parents to two baby fledglings.
“The fledglings stayed in the nest for maybe a couple of weeks, and then they started hopping around,” said Lawlor. “We watched as the adult male brought back food. They hopped around, getting stronger.”
The couple even named each member of the family: the mom, Gretta, the dad, Bogart, and the babies, Hoppy and Happy.
Neighbours in their condo building often stopped by to get a better view of the family of owls.
Lawlor and Maria even witnessed the babies’ first flight. But that happy moment soon turned into something out of a nightmare after a spark on an electrical pole killed both fledglings, leaving feathers and a talon behind.
“The mother went to a nearby power pole and called them to fly over there, and after a couple of days, one did fly over. And by the end of the day, the second one flew over,” explained Lawlor.
“There were exposed wires between insulators on the pole, and when they were flapping to return back to their home tree, one of their wings brushed the wire, and the other one was so close, so when the (explosion) was emitted, it killed both of them instantly.”
The fledglings were seven weeks old. “The mother fell to the ground and the bodies of the two fledglings fell to the ground,” said Lawlor.
“My wife had been watching them and she actually cried, as did some of the other neighbours here. To them, they were just little babies growing up.”
Power was knocked out to part of the complex and several residences nearby. Lawlor said FortisBC appeared several hours later to restore power and picked up the baby owls’ bodies.
FortisBC did not respond to a request for comment by press deadline.
While it may be sad to believe FortisBC wouldn’t care to change the wiring for owls and other birds of prey, Lawlor said he hopes the risk of sparking a forest fire is enough to change their minds.
“There was one fire on Skaha Lake a few years ago that was caused by an osprey being electrocuted, and the bird fell and it started a fire and burnt a portion of the forest,” said Lawlor.
“It’s something they should address as a priority,” he said.
Both parents have now left the nest, with the father only returning once with a mouse in “hopes that the (babies) were still there,” said Lawlor.