Owlets!

We were happy to have Owliver and Owlivia as neighbors for a few weeks. A few days after we discovered them, instead of sitting in the door of the next box, Owlivia began keeping watch from a branch several feet above,

 with Owliver nearby. 

That is when I was sure her eggs had hatched and it was getting crowded inside. I wasn’t wrong.  A few days later little heads began appearing in the door. Owlets!  

Then, last Monday came the Big Day. We looked up to see Mom and two fuzzy babies perched in the Spanish oak. 

It was windy, and the little ones were hanging on for dear life as they swayed in the breeze. They moved from ranch to branch all day. 

Then, late in the afternoon. Owlivia and Owliver began calling softly, encouraging the youngsters to follow to an adjacent elm tree. The larger of the chicks trembled on the end of a branch, then while I held my breath, launched herself in a clumsy arc to the adjacent tree. Her smaller sibling, unfortunately, flopped to the ground where he flapped and hopped along in search of his family. He was noticeably smaller, and perhaps had hatched a day or so later than Sister. I captured him under a cup towel and carried him back to the nest box, hissing and clacking his beak in protest. He spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the door of the nest box, and Tuesday perched in the tree with Mom. 

Apparently the extra day was all he needed. By Wednesday morning Mom and owlet had moved on. We enjoyed them, and hope Owliver and Owlivia will return next year to raise another family.