Fuzzy’s First Foray

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Tina

On Thursday evening, just after sundown, I was privileged to witness Fuzzy the Owlet’s first steps out of the nest box.

Great view from behind: look at those claws!

I didn’t expect that Fuzzy’s first steps into the great outdoors would occur that evening, but I was wrong–I guess little owls know best. I saw Daddy Owl swoop in front of the box, trill while carrying what looked like a dangly and juicy worm, and baby hopped right out of the nest box and onto the branch to greet Dad, the worm, and the outside world.

Dad fed the morsel of worm to Fuzzy prior to this photo.

Fuzzy walked/hopped along the branch for the next hour or so, enjoying visits from both parents and made good owly progress during the night by stretching his wings and legs.

Yikes! It’s a long way to the ground and why is that weird bird with the three eyes making smoochy noises at me?

I didn’t see Fuzzy or Dad at all on Friday, though Mama was in the neighbor’s ash tree, adjacent to my own oak tree which hosts the nest box. Today, I didn’t see the adults until mid-day when I heard the raucous complaints from other birds, alerting everyone to the owls’ presence in my neighbor’s back tree–the same tree where Dad sometimes roosts. With my handy binoculars, I spied Mom and Dad, but no Fuzzy. I’m guessing that Fuzzy is nearby though, considering that the parents are roosting together, which is not typical.

Additionally, one of Fuzzy’s siblings made his/her appearance today.

I think I’ll call this one Frizzy.

The Camera Doesn’t Lie

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Tina

The camera may not lie, but it doesn’t work, either–more about that later. Back in December, we installed a bird camera in the nesting box for “our” Eastern Screech Owl, Megascops asio, couple.

Bee Daddy perched precariously…

Wrapping the wiring around the tree…

After The Bad Squirrel Incident in April 2015, we thought it wise to keep a third eye on our Screech Owl seasonal residents. This spring, with the camera up and transmitting to our desktop and Mama in the house on a regular basis, it was a fun, if not somewhat addicting, to watch her preen and rest in her little nest box.

On Sunday, March 6, Mama laid her first egg.

Here, Mama is peering out of the box, with her wings ready for take-off early in the evening after a hard day’s egg-laying.

The second egg came on Wednesday, March 9,

…the third,

Friday, March 11

…fourth,

Sunday, March 13

…and fifth.

Wednesday, March 15

The eggs appeared on an every-other-day schedule and that is typical of how Screeches deliver. The egg photos were taken shortly after Mama left the house on each of those evenings. You can imagine how exciting the prospect is of observing and chronicling the owl family as it grows and develops. The gestation for Screech Owls is approximately 28 days, so by this post, if all are healthy, three owlets have hatched, with the other two hot on their heels–or shells.

Alas, there were some heavy winds here a couple of weeks ago and the camera went dark. Boo! We’ve re-configured and manipulated all the connections and wires, opened up the house (when Mama flew out for her brief foray into the night) to diagnose the camera’s issue(s), and eventually removed the camera itself for further inspection.

It seems that our bird camera has pooped out.

This photo was taken with Bee Daddy’s cell phone during his last scramble up the ladder and tree limbs to remove the camera permanently.

Mama landed on the branch Bee Daddy straddled, just a few feet away, to keep her two big eyes on him. Once he removed the camera and we realized it’s not repairable, we decided not to interfere with the owls further this season.

I still see Mama the old-fashioned way,

…as she peeks out for a breath of fresh air, weary, and momentarily away from those hungry beaks. Just after that series of shots, Mama yawned. I don’t know if owls yawn, but that’s what it looked like to me.

Mommy-work is hard.

Dad Owl keeps a close watch each day, all day in a neighbor’s tree which is a quick swoop away if he’s needed.

Dad Owl snoozing in the last rays of afternoon sun.

Daddy-work is hard, too.

Five growing and hungry owlets are a big responsibility. A favorite food of Screech Owls are pond toads, which there are usually plenty of in our garden, but the toads haven’t noisily appeared this year, which is odd. Toads are a ready source of “big game” food that our owls hunt directly and since they’re not yet available, I imagine the owls’ menu is consisting mostly insects and the occasional rat, mouse, or bird from wherever Dad Owl can find them. He’ll do all of the hunting until the owlets are so large that Mama can’t stay in the box and then she’ll join in the meal runs for the little ones.

The owlets will fledge in May and we’ll see (hopefully) how many of the babies have survived to that point.

Who Needs a Rubber Duckie?

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Tina

Rubber Duckie, you’re the one,
You make bathtime lots of fun,
Rubber Duckie, I’m awfully fond of you…

With apologies to Sesame Street, Ernie, and the songwriter, Jeffrey A. Moss, this male Orange-crowned Warbler, Oreothlypis celata, has no need for a rubber duckie to have fun in the bath.

On mornings when I don’t have to scoot out of the house too early, I take some time to watch avian visitors as they bathe in the bog section of my pond. I’ve separated the Pickerel Rush, Pontederia cordata, allowing for more water than plants in the bog, and birds are enjoying the shallow, moving water. This little guy just seems so happy to have his bath.