Today a couple came to our door in the late afternoon with the first baby chick patient for 2010, found on the ground beneath a shadowy, cold and wet cliff overhang. It is an owlet, and still has a “baby tooth”, the calcium growth on the outside of the top of the upper beak that helps the baby break out of the egg shell. The presence of the egg tooth means that it’s less than 5 days old, probably. We think it’s an Eastern Screech Owl chick, and when it was found it was VERY cold and lethargic. The couple drove the 15 miles here in great haste thank goodness, and we’re working on warming it up and getting food into it. After 1 hour of warmth and food, it is now cheeping away and starting to move around, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed!