A horned owl fluffs his wings while in rehabilitation. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo
A noticeable increase in the discovery of dead owls in the Anza Valley has occurred in recent weeks. Dave Dolan said he was heartbroken to find his resident family of birds dead one morning.“I maintain owl boxes on my property,” he said. “Barn owls are an excellent, natural way to control rodents. This morning I found my nesting pair dead below their box.”The next day, one of the fledgling young birds was also discovered deceased. The consuming of poisoned rodents is suspected in the sudden owl deaths.Throughout the state, poison bait used to kill rodents has inadvertently hurt or killed countless wild animals and birds of prey.Animals that feed on squirrels, rats, mice and gophers, such as owls, hawks, raccoons, bobcats, mountain lions, foxes, skunks and coyotes, c
