Floater Visit

An owl that has not yet found a mate or established a territory is known as a "floater". A young owl will usually spend two or three years floating from territory to territory before it finds a place to settle down. One of these owls paid a visit to Ward and June's territory last night and hooted for almost thirty minutes from a spot about 100 yards south of the nest. It was clearly a male as its voice was even deeper than Ward's, but its classic hoot was not nearly as well articulated. It either moved on or was driven away before midnight.

This intrusion did not hamper Ward and June's efforts as they continue to bring in more prey than I can keep count of. They do however seem to be extending their frequent deliveries later into the night as the owlets grow and need even more food. The upper picture shows just how much Seymour (on the left) has grown, but he is still much smaller than the others. The lower picture shows that the older owlets are still taking advantage of him as Rufus sits on top of him to look out the door on the right and Emily rests on top of him on the left. He does not seem to mind being a pillow on a cool day, but usually escapes and wanders around on his own when it gets hot.

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