Operators are all too aware of the perils of finding birds and other wildlife that slip into drying beds for a treat only to get stuck and perish. It was a lucky day for a great horned owl when Billy Schatz, lead sewer systems operator from the Rio Alto Water District in Cottonwood, noticed something moving around in a knee-deep drying pool of sludge. Without hesitation, Schatz waded in and pulled the poor creature out.
“This was the first time we ever had a bird of prey in the beds,” Schatz said. “I was really glad I was able to catch it in time.”
Following a bath and providing a cozy resting spot for the large bird, Schatz hoped it could soon fly independently. Yet, after allowing the owl, whom he named Archimedes, a day to recover, it still appeared too weak to take flight. Consequently, he reached out to the Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Anderson for assistance.
After about two weeks, the Rehabilitation Center reached out to Schatz and asked if he would like to watch the owl being released back into the wild.
“It was nice to be able to see the bird was able to make it and fly free again,” he said.
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