 The
owlets are now just over two weeks old and growing rapidly into owls. They
have all learned to snap their beaks loudly when they are threatened, just
as adults do. They are also building up the strength in their wings with a
loot of flapping and leaping as Ernie is shown doing here. He crashed into
the wall at the end of this run, but quickly got up and practiced again.
He is working hard to catch up with the older owlets and has made amazing
progress. Emmett and Abigail have both reached up to touch the second step
on the owlet ladder a couple of times, but should not make a serious
attempt to climb it for two more weeks. They are lucky to have a deep nest
that keeps them from falling out before they are old enough to climb and
perch. Barred owls that cannot find a suitable nesting cavity sometimes use old
hawk's nests and their owlets usually fall out before they are old enough
to make it on the outside. Ward and June, however, have a nice deep nest
that will keep the owlets in until they are old enough to climb. June
spent most of the morning outside the nest today and only visited a couple
of times to preen and feed the owlets. She and Ward both hunted for most
of the night and brought in more than enough food. The last mouse was not
eaten until late afternoon. |