Momma Great Horned Owl has been enticing her owlets to move a little bit every night. I suspect food is the motivating factor. Each morning the owlets would be in a tree about 15 yards further away from the nest than the prior day. I believe the goal was to leave the thicket for much denser forest regions. And now the owl family is gone!
Here are the final faces the owlets made at me (actually the second image is an owl pellet upchuck in progress).
In my 14 years as a volunteer naturalist at Sax-Zim Bog, I had never seen “fledgling” Canada / Gray Jays till this morning. I had always heard that for a very short time after the young birds leave the nests they are “gray fluff balls”. This morning was super special for me. I almost drove by the mature Canada Jay I saw foraging on the side of the road, but I decided to stop and oh my … how lucky. I spent almost one hour with the jay family.
Just to give some perspective, in the same 14 years I have seen Great Gray Owlets on three occasions (and multiple times per nesting season). Thus, at least for me this is a much rarer birding event!
Canada Jay / Gray Jay Fledglings (two youngsters in third image)
An adult from this morning …
Attacking an old bee hive ???
The Movie (video link for blog email subscribers)
I decided two days ago that today’s advanced forecast dictated that this morning was when to visit once more the owl family. Starting right at sunrise (5:45 am), the Great Horned Owls put on a show for me! The combination of an active owl family and perfectly clear skies (35F at sunrise) made for an amazing hour. When sleepy time arrived it was time for me to leave (see final image) I hope you enjoy your visual visit!
Great Horned Owlet … Rabbit for Breakfast!
Breakfast Time (the movie)(video link for blog subscribers)
My Rabbit, Not Yours!
Food Fight! (click to maximize … look at the feathers beneath the tree branch … owlet #2)
Leftovers on the Ground (the food fight resulted in rabbit on the ground)
Momma Great Horned Owl (Guarding the Youngsters)
Hunting (including the talons)
Hunting (the movie)(video link for blog subscribers)
Family Portrait … all is good in the Northland … Sleepy Time for Owls!
Note: If you visit owl nests, this should be your ultimate goal … not disturbing the owls. Birds will tell you in many ways that your presence is not desired or feared. In this case, sleep shows I was maintaining a respectful distance.