 June
returned early this morning after a long night of hunting and spent the
next hour feeding the owlets. As they pushed, shoved, and wheezed to get
her attention, she often stopped to stare for long periods of time before
deciding which one to feed next. She is doing a delicate balancing act
between meeting their needs for food and nurturing the competitive spirits
that will allow them to survive in the wild. She appears to be getting it
right because they are all growing rapidly and none of them concedes
anything to the other. Just seconds after Emmett shoved Ernie over onto
the floor, Ernie was up and trying to climb over Emmett's back to get to
the food. In the end, all of them got plenty of the gray squirrel that she
had brought in earlier. After they were fed, she spent another hour
preening them before climbing up to the door (shown here) and flying over
to a nearby perch where she is enjoying a beautiful spring day. This is
June's fourth brood of owlets and she needs this quiet time away from her
high-spirited new family. Happy Mother's Day to all. |