Ward
came through "big time" last night and there was more food
stored in the nest at dawn than the owlets could handle. The key prey
items were a blue jay and one other large critter that could be divided up
into four meals during the day. June seemed quite happy with the situation
and did not whine all day. When Ward called home with his classic hoot at
noon, she answered calmly with one very polite classic hoot of her own.
The light colored spikes that you see near the end of the owlet's beaks
are called egg teeth. These temporary teeth were used to break through the
tough egg shell, but serve no function after hatching and will soon drop
off. 
Even
at this young age, June encourages competition between the owlets by
making them struggle to pull the food out of her beak. This not only makes
them stronger, but tells her which one is the hungriest. Spencer was the
most aggressive and usually got fed first, but when he tired, Penelope was
always ready. Spencer is shown here trying to pull a piece of prey from
June's beak, just before Penelope pushed her way in and grabbed it for
herself. There was still food left over at sunset and the nest box was a
much quieter and more relaxed place. Let's hope that Ward's success will
be repeated many times in the next few weeks.