AUSTIN, Texas — After the death of its sibling and the departure of its famous mother, Athena’s surviving owlet is now three weeks old and growing stronger thanks to Austin Wildlife Rescue.
The great horned owlet’s mom, Athena, is the official owl ambassador of Austin and has nested at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center every year for more than a decade. This year, she laid two eggs in early March, and they hatched in early April.
On April 17, one owlet died, and the other was believed to have died the next day. Athena abandoned the nest on April 19.
However, the Wildflower Center discovered the second owlet alive on April 20 and called in Austin Wildlife Rescue for rehabilitation.
The rescue said on Facebook that the now-three-week-old owlet has gained 320 grams. Once “cold and lethargic,” the baby has grown “very active” and can track some movement with its still-cloudy eyes.
The owlet will soon move in with Eddison, the rescue’s resident foster mom. According to an Instagram post, Eddison the owl has raised more than 38 orphaned owls that were released back into the wild.
The baby will hopefully move in with its new mom after this week so staff “can surprise Eddison with a new baby for Mother’s Day,” the rescue said in a Facebook comment.