June 15, 2023:
Backyard Finale:
Here is a last set of images of “our” Barred Owls from last Thursday evening, June 8, 2023:
Barred Owlet in the owl box; Barred Owlet “branching”; Barred Owlet perched in a tree after “branching” up its trunk; Mama Barred Owl with Barred Owlet; Barred Owlet “branching”; Barred Owlet in the owl box; Barred Owlet “branching”; and three additional shots of the Barred Owlet perched in a tree after “branching” up its trunk.
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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June 14, 2023:
More From The Backyard:
Here is the second of three sets of images of “our” Barred Owls from last Thursday evening, June 8, 2023:
Mama Barred Owl & Her Owlet; Barred Owlet “branching”; two photos of the other Barred Owlet watching from the owl box; Barred Owlet “branching”; another shot of the Barred Owlet in the owl box; two more Barred Owlet “branching” images; and the Barred Owlet resting in a tree after “branching” up its trunk.
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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June 13, 2023:
Backyard Interlude:
Until last week, I hadn’t picked up my camera since before my March 2, 2023 reparative left shoulder surgery.
It is still too early in my post-op rehab process to be hefting a heavy SLR camera with an attached long lens!
However, over the past several weeks, I had observed that Mama and Papa Barred Owls had once again successfully mated, and had produced two Barred Owlets that were getting close to launching themselves out of our owl box in order to enter the wider world.
I wanted to observe and to photographically document these events.
So in the late afternoon last Thursday, June 8, 2023, pretty much exclusively using my right arm, I set up my camera on a tripod about 75′ in front of the owl box and waited.
I got lucky!
Mama Barred Owl was in a nearby tree looking on.
One of the Barred Owlets was still in the owl box, but the other had already taken the “leap of faith,” and I noticed it on the ground in our woods, perhaps 50′ from me.
I was fortunate enough to observe and to photograph this owlet as it “branched” straight up a nearby tree, utilizing its beak and talons and flapping wings!
Pretty cool!
I thought that the second Barred Owlet might also “fly the coop” that evening, but it was not to be.
It waited until the following day to exit the owl box.
In any case, today, and in my following two posts, I’d like to share some of my favorite images from this eventful evening:
Barred Owlet “branching”; Barred Owlet on the ground prior to “branching” up the tree; Mama Barred Owl watching from close by; Barred Owlet “branching”; two shots of the second Barred Owlet looking on from the owl box; Barred Owlet “branching”; Mama Barred Owl visiting her Owlet in the tree; Barred Owlet Branching; and Barred Owlet perched in the tree after “branching”.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
