Saturday, April 21, 2012

Fledgling Great Horned Owlets

 During "Guacamole Day" in Spanish class, I noticed two heads sticking up in the nest area.  The owlets are becoming more and more active each day.  "When the young owls are 6-8 weeks old, they begin to venture from their nest. This is before they can actually fly. Nature's method provides owlets opportunities to develop their leg muscles that will very soon be catching their own prey. In a natural setting owlets that appear to have fallen from their nest actually have fledged."
"In a natural wooded area, bushes and smaller trees provide a ladder of sorts and allow the chicks to climb to a higher perch until they can fly. When owls nest in a city with concrete below them rather than a soft forest floor, problems arise. That is also the case with a well-manicured park or lawn setting that has nothing that can function as a ladder for the tykes." Source  At our school, we have lots of students and one Ironwood tree for them to climb.  The odds of success?  Luckily the ground below is NOT concrete.  When will they fledge?  And then begin to branch?  Soon.  It may have been today.  So many questions and unknowns.
 There is a lot of action going on outside.  I investigated around the area and I have some good news to report.  For now, both owlets appear healthy.  And second, both Mother and Father were spotted together.  The rumor about the male being killed by crows was just that.....rumor.   We have to keep an eye on both these owlets because they are in a high traffic area.  So playing detective, I went to locate the parents.  A walk nearby would reveal their location.  Here is a ground squirrel hiding out in the shade.  But does this little guy know hoo is above him?
 Lucky for him, she's sleeping:)  There's a lot going on.....students, finals, owlets, graduation....and it's all rather chaotic.  Again during this active time, I'll try to do my best and keep you all updated.   

18 comments:

  1. Cute little Owlets.
    I'm glad Father owl is alive.
    Thanks for keeping us updated.
    Wish you a great weekend.
    Mette

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  2. Hello! Beautiful photos! Well done! The last one is very interesting!

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  3. Very good shots Chris....nice work.

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  4. This reminds me of the 60 Mintues or Dateline story of many years back about the hawks or was it falcons who raised young on New York city buildings and there ledges and hunting in Central Park.

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  5. Your photos give us a look into what most of us could never witness. Fantastic!

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  6. glad to hear the male is still there! keeping fingers and feathers crossed for little ones to make it!

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  7. Great photos - so glad to hear the male is alive. Hoping everything continues to go well for the little owlets.

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  8. It's so amazing how nature just "works" if we let it.

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  9. Lovely to see the little ones and to read all is well so far and such a privilege to be able to follow their story. Great captures Chris.

    I enjoyed seeing the flowers on the previous post also, I love bold, bright colours!

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  10. This is such a fun story to follow, so glad all is going well for now.

    Look forward to the next update.

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  11. so big already! I love that you have shared them with us...
    good example for the kids....you

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  12. This is such a great opportunity for the students to watch the owls and learn. Thanks for the update. Nice pics.

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  13. Thanks for the update. So much to learn about owls.

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  14. You are so observant! Love your eye for interesting things also :-D Have another great day!

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  15. Oh, they look so fuzzy! Have they fledged or branched yet?

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  16. How lucky to get to see the progression of this little family. THey are so cute !

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