June has been getting out of the nest a lot more in the last couple of days. That's June on the right preening her wet feathers while a very dry Ward dozes on his favorite perch with a mouse dangling from his right claws. Don't ask me how she got wet while he stayed dry, but it had been raining earlier and she had been out for a couple of hours. Later, she and Ward took turns preening each other's feathers in areas such as the face and head that they have trouble reaching. Preening is very important for owls because their feathers must be clean and soft to give them the silent flight they depend on. From this vantagepoint, they can see their nest box where Wally and Theodore are --- you guessed it -- wrestling. As they grow, they seem better able to deal with large variations in food supply. They don't complain (wheeze) so much when they run out and really put it away when there is plenty. They started today with four mice and are being fed by June about once every hour.
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