Wednesday 30 November 2016

Still, another foggy day: barred owls update


UPDATE: I found where the pair had been sitting and hooting in the night! Their spots I'd found in summer, while they were nesting. Some owl poop underneath, no pellets. I don't think they found many mice.
  
Poppa owl

It was a long day, Tuesday, Nov. 29th.

It's miserable out: slushy snow on the ground, rainy, and the temperature inversion makes the fog palpable.

The new carpet is installed, the sectional couch covers have been washed, and recovered. Hubby did Meals on Wheels. I sat with my client in the afternoon. More on this later. The place is a mess!

In the meantime, I stepped onto the back deck just before bedtime. The fog was heavy. You could see it wafting in the breeze. In the back 40 I could hear my owls. Two, at least. It was lovely. It was dark, too!

Momma owl in summer
Fledged chick in July
I went to bed, wishing I could leave the window open, but it's too cold! I loved hearing them in the summer, in the night.

Daisy and I have been doing walkies, I've been out almost daily, and still I can't find them in the day. I'm sure they travel to the depths of the forest, where I can't find them.

Here they are from the summer, as I look back six months to June, 2016.
What a gift, watching our Barred owl having a bath in the wetland. He knew I was there, I've been watching him for more than a month. In the background you can hear the rose-breasted grosbeak, blue jay, grey tree frog, etc.! Just before he went for a swim, a chickadee was trying to talking him into taking off. I thought I heard the owl chick, but I'm not sure. The siren at about 2:00 startled him. He sat a long time grooming.


By July, the chicks had fledged and Momma was out hunting all day and night for food.
I haven't seen momma and chicks, she's still feeding them. First, she is calling, watching, while you can hear the chicks cheeping. Then the robin family started harassing her. Robins must have brood #2 nearby.

10 comments:

Cat Lover said...

What wonderful videos. Thanks for sharing. When we lived in Nova Scotis I liked to sleep with our bedroom window open in the summer. Occasionally an owl would perch on a branch in the birch tree outside the window and "who, who".
Have a good day.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
How wonderful to have these warm-weather memories to delve into! That bathing video is a delight! YAM xx

Anvilcloud said...

It's just as foggy or more so today.

Out To Pasture said...

I was enjoying your owl videos until the scolding robin was heard. My cat (who evidentially understands robin-speak), awoke from her bed on my lap and started to growl. She has a fear of birds of prey. When even a vulture flys over, she growls and heads for cover. But I do love owls and thanks for sharing.

Nancy J said...

And to see him have a dip in the water, what a treat. Those birds do have loud shrill warning signals, here Mrs Thrush does it each time one of the cats ventures outside when she is feeding.

Karen said...

Foggy as all get out AND pouring rain up the Valley.
My road is a mud hole and my lane is a slushy nightmare. I hope it all melts before the temperature plummets again.

Crafty Green Poet said...

lovely owls!

William Kendall said...

Those owls are beauties. The fog's been fairly thick here today.

Red said...

Your owls will be there tucked tight up against the tree bark. If they move a bit you will see them.

Powell River Books said...

January and February are our foggy months, but they were calling for some tonight. We'll see. We might get some snow this weekend. That's exciting for me since I grew up in Southern California. Ours is pretty light and usually doesn't last long. Just enough to be fun. - Margy