After
leaping from the nesting tree, Seymour went on a harrowing three hour walk
through the woods. He was in no hurry to get off the ground and reacted
calmly to every crisis. When he found himself approaching a large open
area (my lawn), he stopped for thirty minutes under a small bush to survey
the situation before heading back into the woods. On his way back, he
jumped off of the rock shown here into a tangle of vines that was well
over his head. It took him ten minutes to get through, but he powered
ahead using his wings in what would qualify as a butterfly stroke in
swimming. I did not see June approach him during his walk, but heard her
call several times and am sure she was keeping an eye on him. 
Finally, he
found a tree that was just what he was looking for. It had a slanted trunk
that was not too hard to climb, a view of the nest box, and a nice branch
to sun himself on. While owls are not known to laugh, Seymour seemed to be
having a good one when I took this picture. He had defied the odds and
overcome all of the challenges of being the youngest owlet. June will
probably reunite him with Rufus and Emily some time soon, but for now, he
is enjoying having his own perch.
As I write these pages, I can hear the owlets wheezing in the night to let their parents know where to bring the food. Seymour has the loudest voice and should do very well under this new procedure. They will learn to fly within the next two weeks, but will depend on their parents for food for several months.