 Cool
weather kept June in the nest for most of the night, and Ward came through
big time. I lost count of his deliveries, but the wheezing and bone
crunching went on all night and there were still two mice remaining in the
nest box at dawn. June is shown here doing some serious preening of the
owlets at 6am. Preening not only benefits their health by keeping them
clean, but will become a lifelong part of their social behavior. It is one
of the things that binds adult pairs together as they assist each other
with areas that they cannot reach themselves. The owlets have been
preening themselves since the first few days and occasionally make brief
attempts to help each other. They all appear to be making excellent
progress and Ernie is getting plenty of food. It's a beautiful spring day
and Ward has already called home once from his sunny roost in the top of a
pine tree. June answered enthusiastically. |