When a neighbor in Inner Richmond spotted an injured great‑horned owl near Mountain Lake Park last year, she called on local wildlife enthusiast John Murnane. The 78‑year‑old retired UCSF professor and former cancer‑research molecular biologist rushed to the scene, wrapped the frightened bird in a towel, and drove it to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA in Burlingame after a Marin County wildlife center declined to take it.

Rescue and rehabilitation

Murnane, who has spent decades photographing the birds of the Presidio and volunteering as a water‑bird docent on Alcatraz, gently coaxed the owl into a towel, noting that the creature “just melted” in his hands. He spent the next hour and a half in rush‑hour traffic with the owl in the back seat, speaking softly to keep it calm.

Wildlife rehabilitators later released the owl back into the wooded area of the Presidio near Murnade’s home. Within weeks, the Murnade family heard hooting from their kitchen window. “I turned around and it was looking right at me,” the professor recalled.

Backyard sightings

Since that rescue, Murnade reports seeing an owl in his backyard almost weekly for several months, and he still hears one regularly. While he cannot say with certainty that it is the same bird he rescued, the evidence does not rule it out. He has even dissected an owl pellet found on his patio and identified a rat skull, confirming that the local owls are feeding on the abundant rodent population.

Neighbors have also reported frequent owl sightings in their yards, a trend attributed to restoration efforts in the Presidio that have boosted the city’s owl numbers. “They like to eat rats,” Murnade explained, noting the practical benefit of these predators for the neighborhood.

Life‑long love of nature

John Murnade grew up in Lancaster, California, and Mesa, Arizona, where he described the desert as “our playground.” He later earned a Ph.D. and spent a career in cancer research before retiring to San Francisco. An avid backpacker in the Sierra Nevada and a daily walker in the Presidio with his dog, Murnade says he simply enjoys watching nature.

He has chronicled a family of owls living in a nearby tree for years, turning their nightly flights into a local spectacle. He believes the owl he rescued was an adolescent he once photographed as an owlet and fledgling, and he often sees the bird perched on a familiar branch in the Presidio.

Community connection

The story highlights how a single resident’s quick action can aid wildlife and how local conservation work benefits the entire neighborhood. It also underscores the importance of neighbors looking out for each other—Cindy Samucha, who uses a wheelchair, knew exactly who to call when she found the injured owl.

For residents of Inner Richmond and the broader San Francisco community, the owl’s return is a small but meaningful reminder that caring for the natural world begins at home.

Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.