Every spring we have a couple of Eastern Screech Owls come visit and nest in a tree cavity or old woodpecker hole. We watch the parents come and go at night disappearing into the tree cavity with insects and worms.
Mother Owl watching us closely to make sure we don't get to close to the nest. She actually drops acorns and tree bark down on you if you place your chair to close to "her" tree.
The Mom ducks down suddenly camera shy as Dad joins her to see what we are doing.
Then one night we saw her swoop in and out so quickly that we knew she didn't feed the yet to be seen baby owl. Puzzled...we waited. Pretty soon the Mom and Dad Owl began to call out to the baby from a nearby tree. Finally he shyly poked his head out at the bottom of the tree cavity and then disappeared again. This went on for probably an hour before he got brave enough to climb to the top of the tree cavity.
Here's the little guy up close.
"It's a long way down!"
Getting braver he finally peeks his head out.
"It's a long way up!"
Finally he scrambles out and starts his climb.
And
off he goes! He climbed way up into the tree canopy where Mom and Dad
joined him for his first flight...not to be seen again until next
spring.







Great pictures! I'm still waiting for an owl family to move into our screech owl house. Maybe they prefer natural crevices.
Posted by: Pam/Digging | November 03, 2009 at 07:53 PM
Awesome pictures. The baby owl is cute.
Jeff
TheGardenCloche.com | Garden Plant Covers
Posted by: Jeff | October 29, 2010 at 10:58 AM
Very good pictures :) Screech Owls are very rare here in Denmark. i hope i get to see one, one day.
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