CONWAY — Raptor rehabilitator Tom Ricardi had a busy start to the new year, rescuing five birds on Jan. 1, including an Eastern screech owl found inside a car in Amherst.
Ricardi said he received a call from Cummington Wildlife Inc., which had been notified of a bird in need of rescue. When he arrived at around 1 p.m., he found there was indeed a bird stuck in a car, resting casually on the passenger’s seat.
“It was interesting. [The owl] was sitting perched on the passenger’s seat and all the windows were shut,” Ricardi recounted. “I checked that vehicle up and down and all the windows were closed, and it was a newer car. There weren’t any rust holes.”
While he is not sure how the owl got into the car, Ricardi explained that Eastern screech owls have been known to wiggle their way into tight places.
“I think he got in through the engine compartment,” Ricardi said. “They can squeeze into tight spaces when they’re determined, and I think he was trying to get in and stay warm.”
Winter is a difficult time of year for most wild animals, Ricardi said. With snow covering the ground and limited vegetation, food and shelter are hard to come by. When he was taken in by Ricardi, the 6- or 7-inch-tall owl was thin and malnourished.
“He was all skin and bones,” Ricardi said. “The bird is doing OK, he’s eating now, but he was really thin, and there might be a problem with his wing.”
Ricardi said the owl will be examined by the South Deerfield Veterinary Clinic, which will tell him if the bird needs more specific care. In the meantime, his plan is to keep the bird warm and fed until he is strong enough to be released.
“He’s mostly starving, so I’m trying to keep him warm and I’ve been feeding him lots of mice,” Ricardi said. “With this weather, I’m going to keep him warm and hopefully release him in the early spring.”
Ricardi is currently caring for 45 birds at the Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center in Conway. He said he has a few that are just about ready to be released, but he wants to wait until the warmer weather.
Having received calls for five raptors on New Year’s Day, he said, 2026 is quickly shaping up to be just as busy as 2025 for bird rehabilitation.
“I had a really busy year, with over 176 birds rescued last year,” Ricardi said. “I kept the South Deerfield Veterinary Clinic busy.”