Rescuers release healed barred owl to freedom in Vancouver park

Rescued barred owl Hooper was returned to his chosen home of Vancouver's Douglas Park after a stint in a wildlife rehab centre.

An injured barred owl named Hooper who was rescued by a group of wildlife enthusiasts and rushed into emergency care over the summer has been released back into his habitat — a public park in suburban Vancouver.

Hooper and his feathered sibling and parents ignited a frenzy in May when they took up residence in South Cambie’s Douglas Park, with photographers in their hundreds descending on the small neighbourhood to capture a glimpse of the unlikely visitors.

Greg Beaudin, a hobbyist wildlife photographer and part of a self-dubbed group of “Owlers” who have attentively followed the birds in the months since, had swooped in to rescue Hooper after noticing the small owl suffering a leg injury in July.

On Sunday, Beaudin received the news that he had been eagerly awaiting all fall. After receiving treatment at Delta’s Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, Hooper was healthy, happy, and ready to return home.

“Finally, the call came through that Hooper was healthy enough to go out and be competitive for food on his own,” he says.

Beaudin says Hooper “looked great” when he picked him up from the Delta care facility, bundled him into his car and drove him to Douglas Park. A group of 10 to 15 of the ‘Owlers’ had gathered to release him that afternoon, and Hooper reintegrated back into his chosen home without issue — bolting from his cage and settling into a nearby tree.

Just a few hours later, Beaudin was surprised to see Hooper once again when, as if to issue a word of thanks, the owl paid him an unexpected visit.

“Later that night, around 11 p.m., he flew into the tree right outside our window on 19th (Avenue) and Heather Park, right in front of the tennis courts,” he says.

“He was sitting in the tree and popped up, and you could hear the owls, there were two of them, hooting away.”

Beaudin hopes the raptor has reunited with his parents—affectionately named Hoolio and Hoolietta—or his sister, Hoolia, who the group have been checking in on in Hooper’s absence.

“Every couple of weeks we’ll organize a drop that we can all meet up and do the walk and search,” he says, adding that his partner has been making “almost daily visits” to the nearby Queen Elizabeth Park, where the family have also been spotted.

Beaudin says he is grateful the experience clubbed him together with a group of other avid bird watchers who he didn’t know prior, and likely wouldn’t have met otherwise. After the successful release of their beloved bird on Sunday, the group strolled to Cambie Street and sat down for dinner together to mark the occasion and the wrapping up of an unexpected and unforgettable saga.

“It’s been amazing to be exposed to the whole world of owls, we all know more than we did when we started,” he says. The experience has “opened the door” to researching and spotting other avian life, and the group are now looking at planning visits to local bird sanctuaries together.

“We’re so lucky to have these amazing creatures in our neighborhood,” he says.