A New Family for a Fort Worden Owlet
Perch Watch • April–May 2026
A fallen nest brought an unexpected change for three young great horned owls at Fort Worden. For the youngest, it would take a caring community—and some experienced feathered foster parents—to find a safe place to grow.
Wind and stormy weather had contributed to the nest’s collapse. Great horned owls don’t build their own nests; they often move into old nests left behind by other birds, which may already be in poor condition.
The two older owlets managed to move onto a branch. Their younger sister tried hard to perch, but she didn’t yet have the coordination to stay put and fell to the ground. A Port Townsend woman saw her fall, sought help, and brought her to Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue so we could assess her needs and decide what to do next.
Trying to keep her with her wild family
Our first goal was to return her to her family. On April 17, a tree climber named Dillon installed a laundry basket in a nearby tree to serve as a replacement nest. He then carried the owlet up in a backpack and carefully placed her inside.
Unfortunately, she came back out and fell to the ground again. People watching nearby kept track of her, helping us find her once more.
Young great horned owls can sometimes climb back into trees, depending on their age and the trees around them. But this little one was still struggling, and the busy setting left her vulnerable on the ground. We decided the safest next step was to bring her back to the center to be raised by a surrogate.
A week of care, then a feathered foster family
The owlet spent about a week in our care before being introduced to our surrogate great horned owls.
Gandalf and Dillon are two male great horned owls at DBWBR who help raise orphaned owlets from across western Washington each year. And yes, our owl Dillon shares a name with the tree climber who helped with the rescue!
Both male and female great horned owls take part in raising their young. Gandalf and Dillon put those natural parenting instincts to work each spring and summer, caring for youngsters who need a foster family.
The May 6 photograph shows the Fort Worden owlet at DBWBR alongside Gandalf, after she had been introduced to the surrogates.
Her story brought together a woman who stopped to help, a climber willing to carry an owlet into a tree, neighbors who kept watch, and two remarkable surrogate dads. Each played a part in giving this young owl a safe place to continue growing.
