On Nov. 19, 2025, the Patrol Office received a phone call about a baby owl on the ground in a resident’s front yard. Mary O’Neill went to rescue the owl, assuming it was a young Great Horned Owl, although it was the wrong time of year for owl fledglings. Great Horned Owls, Barn Owls, and Burrowing Owls can be found in PebbleCreek.
What Mary found was something quite different—a Saw-Whet Owl. Saw-Whet Owls are very tiny, 8 inches tall maximum. This little one was more like 6 inches, with bright yellow eyes. Just the cutest little thing! They typically eat bugs and lizards.
Saw-Whet Owls are not common in Arizona. They can pass through as they migrate to warmer climes in the winter, but they are usually found in pine forests. The day before this one was found, we had a powerful storm pass through, and it may have blown this little one off course.
The owl was taken to Fallen Feathers, and they were very excited to see this owl as a Saw-Whet had never been seen there before. It was found to be blind, which is usually a temporary condition caused by a window strike. It was also found to be extremely thin. They did try to feed it immediately. Unfortunately, it did not survive the night, and we were heartbroken to lose it.
This little owl is good example of why it is so important to call either Patrol or The Pet Companions Club when you see wildlife acting in an unusual manner. In many cases we are able to save them. Please make sure you have entered both the phone numbers for the Patrol Office, and for Pet Companions, as contacts in your cellphone.
You can send a tax-deductible donation to the Pet Companions Club through Zelle at pcpetcompanions@gmail.com, or send us a check by mail to The Pet Companions Club of PebbleCreek, PO Box 6106, Goodyear, AZ, 85338-0619.