Just
as it was looking like all of the young owls had left their parent's
territory, one of them spent the day hunting near the nest box. As usual,
the visit was announced by the squawking of the jays and smaller
birds that swarmed the young owl while it sat on this branch. Prey is
still relatively abundant this time of year, so that only a young and inexperienced
owl would be attempting to hunt in daylight as this one was. 
In
spite of the bird's harassment, the young owl moved from perch to perch
listening for the rustling of his prey in the dry leaves that litter the forest
floor. While the squawking of the birds alerted the larger potential
prey, there were still enough shrews, voles and other unwary
critters to make the harassment worth enduring. The owl is pictured here
just before it pounced on what appeared to be an unlucky shrew that was
rustling through the leaves in search of insects.
Ward and June have it relatively easy this time of year and can often be heard calling to each other in the daytime and visiting the nest at night. The nest visits are brief and usually include monkey calls to warn any other owl that might be looking for a home to stay away.