Newton tree service, school team up for owl rescue

A pair of barred owlets and their mother were unexpectedly relocated to a new home near a Newton school Tuesday.

As The Church of The Way, 2306 S. Third Ave. E., expands its ministry to include a new 700-seat worship center, several trees are being cleared. Jeff Wilson and his son Kole Wilson, of DW Tree Service, were hard at work on the project Tuesday when they saw a full-sized owl fly out of a tree they had just cut down.

"Then we found the baby owls and knew we had to do something," Jeff Wilson said.

Jeff's wife, Stacey Wilson, has rehabilitated wildlife in the past and also works for the ISU Extension office in Newton, a research and resource hub. When she got the call, she went to work devising a plan to save the owls. Stacey recommended transferring part of the hollowed tree the birds were living in to a nearby tree across the street.

With approval from the Newton Community School District, Jeff and Kole and their co-worker, Denny Deakins, worked together to strap that portion of the downed tree to a different one on the Aurora Heights Intermediate School property.

Jack Suttek, supervisor of maintenance for NCSD, was on hand for the rescue, helping with the project at the school.

"The whole time we were working the mother was flying from treetop to treetop watching us," Suttek said.

Once the owlets were placed in the tree on the school side, those involved in the project kept a watchful eye on the tree to see if the mother would reunite with her owlets. It wasn't until Tuesday evening a passerby spotted the mother peeking out of her newly relocated home.

"In the end, she found her babies," Suttek said.

Suttek has since installed a temporary fence around the tree to prevent curious youngsters from disturbing the feathered family. Keri Van Zante, director of Jasper County Conservation, said it's important nobody disrupt the nest as it's critical the mother stay with her young.

"They need some space to adapt to their new home, so keeping people and pets away from the area is important so the mom doesn't think she needs to move again," Van Zante said. "Give them their space."

Jeff Wilson said this is the first time he's rescued owls, but it isn't his first wildlife recovery — the tree service has previously rescued a squirrel.

Tricia Groves, director of operations at The Way church, said while they certainly weren't expecting this surprise with their expansion project, they were pleased the family was reunited.

"We were excited to hear about the happy ending," Groves said.

Contact Abigail Pelzer at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com