Thanks to a team of volunteers in Grand Junction, two baby owls have a new home after falling nearly 60 feet.

A volunteer Wildlife Rescue Team for the Colorado Division of Wildlife received a call from two women at the Audubon-Ela Sanctuary who had been watching the owls’ nest, concerned that the nest was too heavy for the tree it was in, said volunteer Steve Bouricius.

Recently, strong winds caused the nest to fall about 60 feet, leaving the two chicks stranded on the ground.

The owls were 2 weeks old when the nest fell; chicks typically spend five weeks in their nest before taking flight.

The chicks hid under leaves on the ground — where they were easy prey for bobcats, coyotes, foxes and other animals — but volunteers were able to reach the chicks before predators did.

The volunteer team joined forces with the Grand Valley Audobon Society to gather materials and tools to build a new nest and platform for the owls.

Soft hay and some of the twigs from the original nest were used to create a new nest in a milk crate on two 2x4s.

The crate was just deep enough to keep the chicks from falling.

Within an hour of crews leaving the new nest, the adult owl found the nest and has been caring for the chicks since.

Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com