Rehabilitated owl to be released in North Liberty

Around 5 p.m. today, the Macbride Raptor Project will release a recovered barred owl at the North Liberty Community Gardens. The public is welcome to come watch the release at at 153 E Penn Street in North Liberty .
The owl was discovered by North Liberty Parks Department employees at the Meade Barn during regular grounds maintenance. They contacted project volunteers, who collected the bird to begin rehabilitation. The raptor was missing tail feathers, said Macbride Raptor Project Assistant Luke Hart said, which prevented its flight. Now that the feathers have regrown, the bird is ready to return to life outside of the Macbride Raptor Center.
“She was flying around really well today,” Hart said. “She looks anxious to get back outside.”
The Macbride Raptor Project was founded in 1985 and is devoted to preserving Iowa’s birds of prey and their natural habitats. The project achieves its goals through rehabilitation of sick and injured birds, educational programs for the public and field research of Iowa’s native raptors.