Owlets

 

We saw this year’s crop of baby owls this morning.

When I first stepped outside, there were four owls – mom, dad and the two young ones – together on a limb, but by the time I got my camera, the parents were gone.  The pictures above were about as good as I could get.  The juveniles were in deep shade with the rising sun behind them when I took these shots.

We have been hearing them, or I should say that Honey has been hearing them, for the past month or so.  They communicate with a high-pitched screech that Honey finds as irritating as finger nails on a chalk board. 

Most of time, I can’t hear it at all, but I certainly can today.  No wonder she has been complaining about it for weeks!

The young ones can fly quite well, but are afraid to try, and their landings are still pretty clumsy. 

If this is really their first day to venture from the nest, they have waited longer than usual.  They are already about half the size of their parents and about twice as big as young owls we have seen in previous years.