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Update with photos: 9 orphaned owls returned to wild

SEQUIM, Wash. — Nine orphaned barn owl owlets that were raised with the help of a couple of surrogate mother barn owls have flown the nest at the Northwest Raptor and Wildlife Center in Sequim.

The owlets were brought from three different nests in April and May, and the center says it's extraordinary that all survived.

The birds were freed last week in a "soft release" in which they were allowed to come and go as they pleased. The center says two wild barn owls started calling in the night and all the owls answered the "call of the wild."

The all-volunteer nonprofit center treats injured or orphaned wild animals so they can be released.

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