We received a call the other night about an owl that was trapped in a house. The homeowners were vacationing in Florida and notified by family that something was moving around in the home. Somehow during renovations, the workers left doors or windows open and this female Barred Owl decided to venture inside. She was in the house for a short period of time and managed to get trapped in an upstairs bedroom. Two of our volunteers that live close by were able to coordinate with the family and enter the home to rescue the owl. She was at a great weight and only had minor injuries from hitting her head on windows and the ceiling while trying to escape. We treated her mild injuries and released her back to the neighborhood 2 days later.
Moral of the story: make sure to keep windows and doors closed if no one is home. You never know who or what may venture into your home.
We all want to rummage through our neighbors' house and see what neat stuff they've got, but you can't give in to the temptation, no matter how stealthy you think you are!