The appendages on the sides of the Great Horned Owlet changed from downy elbows to magnificent wings in just nine days. And he’s learning as fast as he’s growing.
(YouTube is messing with me by not putting a photo from the film on this one, but believe me, the movie plays and the owl has impressive wings.)
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The owlet’s first week is about baby steps, baby jumps … and bike riding.
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This movie about the owlet’s shaky introduction to life outside the nest is part one. I won’t know how many more parts there’ll be until the owlet is independent. I should say “owlets” actually. I’m almost certain there’s a second owlet still in the nest.
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I didn’t have any idea the owls were about to mate, not until the male dropped into my shot and landed on top of the female. Honest. If I had, I would have averted my eyes and turned off the record button. Aren’t you glad I didn’t, though, because now you can watch too.
We’ve had a pair of Great Horned Owls nesting in the woods behind our house for the last seven years. Last winter, they had one owlet, and on his first day out of the nest, I filmed him. When he tests those powerful wings, I can almost feel the potential of flight in my own arms. Wouldn’t you love to be him for an hour and REALLY feel your wings spread?
The tree that had their nest was destroyed last May 31st in a tornado, but we’ve been hearing the pair calling to each other every night since they returned in late August. They coo. The male’s call is slower and deeper; the female’s is higher pitched and faster, a little more fussbudgety. Near the nest, the tall cedars that they roosted in every day were also destroyed by the tornado. The nursery is gone and so is Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom. So we wondered if they would look for a different territory. Apparently not. It’s 7:45 p.m., and I’m listening to them as I type. They’ll mate in January, and the young will be born in late February or early March.