Baby owl returned to nest in Ocean Springs

OCEAN SPRINGS -- A rescue group on Saturday returned a baby owl to a nest site where one sibling remained.

The group, Wildlife Care and Rescue Center, returned the bird at the historic Evergreen Cemetery in Ocean Springs.

On March 1, a person visiting the cemetery found one owlet on the ground, possibly because of gusty winds the evening before.

The group said Great Horned Owls are known to take back their babies even when they have been absent for several days.

WCRC said it also had fostered another baby owl it received in February from Hancock County. This owl was about the same age as the owl that needed to be returned to its nest. So, instead of two owlets in the nest, the parent birds now have three to care for, officials said.

WCRC is hosting a volunteer recruitment program on March 18 at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge in Gautier.

Call 228-669-2737 for more information.

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Baby owl returned to nest in Ocean Springs ."