A young barn owl that apparently fell out of a nest in South Taft was rescued Monday afternoon by a wildlife biologist.

“It’s been 40 years since men landed on the moon, and now a barn owl lands in Taft,” quipped Bill C. Asserson III, an associate wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game, after wrapping the critter in a burlap bag.

He said the owl appears to be in good physical condition, but he planned to have it checked out at a Bakersfield veterinary hospital.

“It’s a juvenile barn owl, and in all probability it fell out of a nest,” he said. 

After the owl is checked by a vet, it will probably wind up at Cal State Bakersfield’s animal rescue department, known as FACT, “until it can learn to fly on its own.”

Barn owls, Asserson said, “are a protected species.”

Phyllis and Kenny Rountree discovered the owl huddled under a bush in their front yard Monday morning after their little dog Gidget pointed it out to them.

They at first thought it was sick or injured.

They fed it roast beef and gave it some water, then started making phone calls.

County animal control said it doesn’t pick up wild animals. 

The city said it’s not in their jurisdiction, but they would respond if it was.

CALM (California Living Museum) wanted Phyllis to throw a towel or blanket over it and bring it to their facility northeast of Bakersfield.

Finally, the DFG said it would send someone out, and Asserson dropped by in the afternoon, gingerly corralled the critter and hustled it off for a checkup.

He said he usually gets busy this time of year.

“This time of year we get quite a few calls for things like kit foxes, birds and owls,” he said.

Phyllis Rountree said she gets a lot of critters around her place, which is in the 100 block of Buena Vista Place at the foot of 25 Hill.

"We get a lot of animals here," she said.  "We get lots of hawks and kit foxes."