Months after a daring rescue on a Louisville freeway, a snowy owl is about to be set free

A snowy owl injured on a downtown Louisville freeway shortly before Christmas has recovered and will be set free later this week after a road trip to Wisconsin.

When Raptor Rehabilitation Inc. took the owl in, its caretakers said it had charred feathers and was blinded in one eye, which had turned red with blood.

"We thought the bird was never going to see out of that eye," said Eileen Wicker, the head and founder of the wildlife center in Louisville. "Both eyes look great," and the bird now has some vision in the eye that was injured, she said.

The big test is whether the Arctic visitor can catch live prey by itself, and the bird passed with flying colors, Wicker said. "He's nailing everything," she added.

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The good news came this week as Wicker was headed to near Campbellsville to check on another possibly injured snowy owl. "It's been sitting on a post for two days," she said, adding that she was unsure of the extent of any injuries.

The bird that recovered became a social media darling after its rescue in late December by a good Samaritan – a rescue during which the owl actually bounced off a passing car. That drama took place on one of Kentucky's busiest freeway interchanges, where Interstate 64 and Interstate 71 split near downtown. Wicker said it's likely that the bird had been hit by another car before its rescue.

Snowy owls do not normally migrate as far south as Kentucky, but this winter, many from the Arctic ventured deep into Midwest – a result of fluctuating food and population cycles.

Thursday, two local volunteers will drive the bird north to Antigo, Wisconsin, the home of the Raptor Education Group Inc., another rehab facility. Wicker said it will be taken farther north and released on a regular snowy owl migration route.

"We couldn't be more thrilled," Wicker said.

The bird has been cared for by Raptor Rehab volunteers for three months and seen by avian ophthalmologist Dr. Jason Clark of Metropolitan Veterinary Specialists.

James Bruggers: 502-582-4645; jbruggers@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @jbruggers; Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/jamesb.