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Comments

Barred Owls 2015 — 2,483 Comments

1. Not the best photo, but Sol has been biting Luna on the side of her face today. Feisty owlet! She still doesn’t react. Sol may be getting more demanding for more food. Impressive patience of Luna.

   

2. Food drop about 4:21pm. Exterior cam off air, didn’t see Noche, but all the signs were there. Seemed he lingered a while, Sol’s behavior was a bit more aggressive and seemed unusually excited. Luna covered Sol with her wing after food drop. In between bites, Sol was staring outside. Just seemed that he/she saw Noche.

   

3. Luna’s feet. lol. Not.

   

4. One more photo from this morning.

   Luna weighs at least 2-2.5 pounds, still trying to imagine how much does Sol weigh?

   They are bonded, Luna and her Sol. Too cute.

   

5. So lucky and grateful to watch Live action. Many, many thank you’s to you all who share these owl with us.

   I smile more, don’t finish the laundry, order delivery food at least once a week. Say “too cute” at least twelve times a day, “fantastic and brilliant” at least ten times a day.

   Learned owls mate for life, during nesting, male provide all nourishment to female. She protects, shelters, incubates and insulates their egg/s. After time passes, the female is able to leave owlet and spend time hunting and rejoining her mate. When he visits, she coos and calls, it says so much. She longs to be free of the nest box and being under the moon and stars. But, she is also taking care of her owlet/s and looking at life in the moment, no place else she’d rather be.

   Owlet can poke, push and bob female without reaction from her. Observed so much patience. Currently, bluejays are/were nearby, Sol’s been getting active, attention shifted, owlets and mine, focus!

   Born without feathers, pink and reddish skin tones. Can’t see anything, they instinctively know so much more than we do. I have learned owlets are feisty, determined little creatures and the adults pull out all stops to take care of their own.

   Just observed Sol, bobbing head action, side to side. First time saw it as perhaps being off balance, but seeing it repeat, Sol is gaining in confidence and personality!

   Tomorrow he/she is 4 weeks old. All the best Sol!

6. One thing with absolute verification/proof, Sol no longer fits under the chest feathers and/or wing of pretty Luna.

   

7. Then, there is always the possibility that it was not the bewildering egg at all, those were wood chips on the beak, not egg shell and the yolk was prey/bird. Luna did eat feathers. We will see, half laughingly said.

   Have one more photo to add, before the feeding, Sol was nudging Luna, pecking at her and actually was able to get her to move. Also, it was raining and Luna had water beads on her pretty face.

   Enjoy!!!

   

8. The past few mornings have been eventful and amusing. Another event filled morning in the nest box.

   Sol has found a new voice.

   Exterior cam, a Bluejay follows Luna in flight. She calmly landed on the perch, it flew off after a bit of branch hopping.

   Interior cam, Sol was wide eyed, staring up at Luna with a new owlet call. Only twice today have I heard the baby owlet chirp sound. Rain ended, sound is turned back up.

   Sol was feisty. Pecking at Luna’s face, not preening her. She was preening owlet and got pecked. She did not react to it at any time.

   Appears egg is eaten, after 58 days.

   After feeding, Sol’s eyes got heavy, nap time and all is very well inside the nest box.

   Can’t say Thanks enough. This continues to be a wonder filled experience and look forward to what happens next!!!

9. Closer look, cropped image, Luna fed Sol what appears to have been the yolk. The egg has bewildered many of us for some time.

   From the beginning, baby Sol seems to find comfort near the egg. When Luna would exit, owlet appeared to calm down, even when the eyes weren’t open, something to lean on. Realizing now, there was no heartbeat or vibration from the egg, but still Luna and Sol were attached to it.

   For weeks and weeks, Luna rolled the egg and kept it with them all along. The last two weeks, she stopped incubating the egg, but continued to keep it close.

   Nothing goes to waste. Mystery is somewhat solved as to the viability of the egg. Another milestone of sorts and now the owls nap.

   

10. One of my favorite recurring poses.

    

11. Love the double profile.

    

12. They enjoyed the meal very much so. Followed by Luna consuming many feathery bits.

    

13. Regarding owl eggs, Lynch (referenced earlier) points out, “At least 1 to 3 percent of eggs never hatch. They fail because the eggs are infertile, or the embryos die from cold temperatures or an infection 170).” I would think the first option the most reasonable, but we will never know.

14. Both relished the meal, and an egg would provide a very nourishing one.

    

15. Egg made it to day 58. Was so curious, as to the condition inside.
    It appears to have not been a viable egg. Always wondered, did it develop, then unable to hatch, the answer is no.

    

16. Awfully beautiful moment. Nothing goes to waste.

    

17. As I was commenting yesterday:

    I believe that the egg has been a stumbling block for Sol from early on. I’ve expressed my views briefly in Forum. I wish that Luna would move it out of the way. I’m surprised it hasn’t been crushed by now. Would have provided some calcium for her and might have made it easier for Sol to move around with a bit more ease.

    Sol and Luna have both been eating something with great enthusiasm this morning. Would like to think it is the egg, but haven’t been able to see clearly enough to feel comfortable with that conclusion yet.

    Posting a sequence of screen captures beginning at 9:07 A.M. when I first observed the two enjoying a “meal.”

    

18. Correction: Day 58. In the moment, got distracted with photos.

19. The egg is being eaten today, day 57.

    

20. Soft rain shower now. Much cooler day, at least 20° cooler.
    A cooler evening too, low in the mid 40’s.

21. Pretty Luna.

    Tonight is the new moon. The phase of the moon when it is in conjunction with the sun and invisible from earth, or shortly thereafter when it appears as a slender crescent-

    when the unilluminated side is facing the earth.

    

22. This photo was taken at the same time that Luna sat perched outside, while the bluejay was still close. Sol has a new sound!

    There is a difference between the yawning type behavior and today’s calling. It was a “calling”. The silent open beak behavior is different. The expressions in the face show, it is two different reactions.

    oh and those eyelashes…

    

23. Two things happened. Luna arrived and bluejay was flying at her, landed on a nearby tree. Second thing, owlet Sol has found a new voice!

    What a beautiful owl she is.

    

24. What a way to start the day. Day two now, Sol has a new sound.

    Cam was off air, when back, not much inside looks changed.

    Bluejays visit nearby, what will Sol do?

    

25. Being a growing Owlet is exhausting. Sol bids goodnight, i.e. until Mom brings back some midnight snacks.

    

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