A Plymouth man who nursed a starving tawny owl back to health has been left astonished as the bird continues to return to his garden each night.
Mark Foden, 63, rescued the owl after finding it weak and malnourished on a military barracks parade ground in June last year. The retired engineer spent months nursing the bird back to health, initially having to feed it by hand as it was too weak to eat.
“He was very emaciated I think and had not been fed for a while… so he was on his way out.”
Mark recalls.
“At first he wouldn’t eat, it was very difficult to feed, he wouldn’t take it himself… so I had to put it in his mouth and push it down… but as you can see, he grew into a fine fellow!”
When the time came to release Tiberius into the wild, Mark did so with some uncertainty, wondering if he would ever see the bird again.
“When I released [him], I just opened the door and I filmed it. At first he was quite resistant – he thought this is a bit odd and he kept coming back and forwards. Eventually he leaned over and he flew out… and then he disappeared.
However, just 12 days later, his home security camera revealed the owl had returned, perched outside his door as if checking in.
“And then 12 days later, I just looked on the Ring app and he’s sitting there and I thought, oh, wow, this is good!”
Since then, the visits have become a regular occurrence, with Mark capturing almost nightly sightings of his feathered friend through his outdoor security cameras. He hopes Tiberius will eventually establish a territory but remain nearby.
This is not Mark’s first wildlife rescue. In 2018, he nursed an injured jackdaw back to health before releasing it into the wild.
With multiple outdoor Ring cameras around the perimeter of his house, Mark makes the most of its high-quality night vision, monitoring Tiberius and other wildlife that visit his garden.
As Tiberius continues his visits, it’s clear that the bond between them is one that won’t be easily broken.
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