From Palm Beach Post
Spain has completed the return to Florida of these 2 stowaways from Feb 2025.
Originally shared here by user @Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world Check that link out for the background on the journey these 2 sneaky owls have been on.
This is owl #1, shocked by its glamourous new anklet.
Unhand me, woman! I refuse to live in Florida! Take me back at once!
Lol that’s the first thing I thought! Nooooo! They brought us back!
At their newly designated home.
Any idea why the bands were blurred out?
OWLS is filmed on location with the men and women of bird law enforcement; all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of bird law.
Bands contain identifying info just the same as our faces do.
Bands contain identifying info just the same as our faces do.
The bands have an ID number and the website to report a sighting, but that can be used to identify the bird and get info about its (possible) location.
I was wondering that at first as well. I had a suspicion, which I believe I have confirmed.
So, the band itself isn’t good for doing anything but essentially giving the bird a serial number. But that number is reportable by anybody. If another bander catches a banded bird at next year’s migration, they can report it and that datapoint is added. If you find a dead banded bird on your property, you can report that as well.
Since this data is helpful to those who did the banding, they (at least used to) send you a little certificate for your contribution to science. This one is from this metal detectorist’s video on finding a band.
Now, I don’t think normally anyone would care too much, but since these birds have been in the news for the last year, they may be concerned about the selfie crowd looking to get their pics of the famous cruise ship owls and if they could work out the 8 or 9 digit number on one of the bands, they could get a general location where these guys were released. You know how people get. 🙄
So probably overly cautious, but these birds have already dealt with a great deal of stress, and living in Florida isn’t getting any easier for them, so this is my best guess as to why it was blurred.
Of course, before hitting post, I quick looked around to see if all the articles blurred them out, which they did, they seem to have been blurred by Fish and Wildlife themselves, but I did see one local news source give the location where they were released. It’s a big area, but I wonder if they were less than thrilled by having that info put out there.
Ahh, I couldn’t figure out how the band number gave out any info of use, but if it’s tied to location elsewhere, that makes sense. Thanks!
My pleasure!
so the Bald Eagle police doesn’t get them for unpatriotic and traitorous behaviour and send them to a camp for reeducation.
Owl #2, banded and ready for release.
“It wasn’t me - I didn’t do nothin’!”
They told us we could go aboard for free!
Florida Fish and Wildlife provided them with this lovely starter home.
Checking out the new neighborhood.
Home, Sweet Home
Found a pic of the pre-buried burrow.
that owl has seen some shit
On two continents, no less!
Both repatriated owls being banded.
Why are the bands blurred in every pic?
dont wanna doxx the birds
Don’t doxx the floxx?
Here is my hypothesis in response to another comment with the same question.
For their own protection!
Thanks
Yup. It doesn’t sound the most tightly guarded secret, it seems to be a place where they do these Burrow Owl re-homings regularly, but no need to draw extra attention to it. People do dumb stuff for photos.
To give them some privacy.
Can’t blame them - I’d leave Florida for Spain too
Now I want paella 🤤
Pinky and the Brain: The Burrowing Owls.
Snarf… whatta wanna do tonight Brain?
The same thing we do every night… Try to take over the cruise line!
“Set your Owls on ‘Stun’ !”.
