Still have babies in the nests!

The phoebe has finally chosen a nest site. As I garden, he sits atop the tree, defending his territory. The smell of the lilacs continue to waft past.

Woodpecker Nest

The Blue Jays continue to harass the woodpeckers in their nest. I checked on them last night, and can see them popping up in the hole, jumping up to see me. I began to wonder how the woodpeckers learn to fly. There are no branches.

The first photo is momma fending off the Jays. The second, one of the young 'uns on the lookout for mom!

Barred Owl

I hope not to bore you with my owls, but something new happens every few days. She was out on a nearby branch a few days ago. Tuesday, May 24th, she was out early in the morning. This morning, May 26th, poor little chickie is still howling for food. I woke around 5:30 and decided I ought to go out and check. It was only 10 C., and the mosquitoes hadn't gotten going much, yet.

This is from Cornell U., and refers to Great Horned Owls. I imagine the timelines are about the same for the Barred Owl. These are the only predators of the Barred, and a bit larger.

How old are the owls when they fledge?

Barred owl feather

Young owls move onto nearby branches when they are six weeks old. At seven weeks they are capable of three or four short flights of diminishing distance as they tire easily.

Day 40: The young are able to climb well, at which time they may leave the nest and clamber out along a tree branch. This stage is known as branching.

Day 45-49: The young are fully feathered and capable of flight.

At seven weeks the owls are capable of three to four short flights of diminishing distance as they tire easily.

Momma is a little farther away from the nest, as if trying to encourage the chick to get going! I'm anxious to watch for it branching. She is, of course, exceptionally vigilant, glaring in the direction of some raucous crows.
Momma Owl, who stared at me for a moment, sensing I am not a threat. Their eyes are amazing.

You can see in the last two photos how camouflaged she is, even with the leaves out!

 

You can watch videos of chicks on the livecams on Cornell's YouTube channel.

Momma owl from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Momma owl was a little farther away from the nest. The was much whining from the chick inside the nest!