Please view the Barred Owls on the 2016 page.
http://chimneyswifts.net/forum/
Click on the pictures below to enlarge them.
Barred Owls 2015
BLACK VULTURES & FRIENDS
Live stream of Nesting Black Vultures
Please view the Barred Owls on the 2016 page.
http://chimneyswifts.net/forum/
Click on the pictures below to enlarge them.
The exterior Cam experienced some issues a few day ago. I am hoping to have it up and running tomorrow but there is a possibility that it will have to be replaced. If that is the case it will be down for a while. This is a terrible time for this to happen but I will do my best to get it up and running as soon as possible.
Is the exterior camera not working? It has said Off Air for a long time.
Friday night, 8:52pm.
Hearing children’s laughter, a hooting owl, barking dog, resting owlet and Yes, Sol had a great day.
Bonding with Luna, preening each other, food drop, learning to hop and leap.
No photo, but smiling at Sol bobbing and weaving at the sound of people. Distant hooting heard again, sat her quietly for a few minutes just listening and watching.
Leaps and flaps today. Sol is figuring this out. Seen one leg go by, wings and owlet is getting height. Taking a rest, what a beautiful owlet.
Well, another extremely good day.
Sol trying to climb out is a win, win. Legs and wings are getting stronger and give a better chance at becoming more flexible and building stamina. Unable to escape right now, may be the best thing.
Seeing owlet use both legs to scratch at the wall is showing improvements.
Sure Sol wants out, but for now owlet is safe, secure and well fed.
Both adults visit. Luna didn’t give up on the egg until the 58th day, my bet is she will stay will Sol, allowing more time.
Now, we see where Sol gets those beautiful eyes from… and pretty feathers. All that preening is paying off.
Heard something outside. I love those big eyes!
Too cute. Fully aware of Sol’s concentration and strong desire to be out of the nest box and by no means diminishing the seriousness of Sol’s plight. But, that face, those eyes… still brings smiles to many faces in between the hurdles ahead to over come.
Keep working those legs and wings, be safe and sound, mighty Sol!
Sol preening, beautiful.
Sol is trying so hard. I have never seen so much activity on his part. Great time to look at the tape if you aren’t watching live.
9:53am Luna preens Sol’s right leg, as she’s done increasingly over the last week. Amazing what she is aware of.
10:55am Sol preens wonderfully. Pretty view of the feathers. Chirping away.
Trying, with great effort to climb out of the box. Instinct says time to go, but there may be an advantage to still remain inside the box to allow time to build up the leg. Seems the attempts to climb out are visibly showing improvements. Keep working those wings and legs owlet.
Luna and Noche remain quite attentive to there owlet. Food is plentiful, as is Sols persistence.
If determination is a factor, this little guy is going to make it. Is the hole on the left side as we look at the picture?
As with most birds of prey, female Barred Owls are larger than males. Females weigh between 1.75 – 2.5 lbs. Males weigh between 1.3 and 1.8 lbs. Their wingspan is about 38-42 inches.
Trying to estimate how much Sol weighs at this time and what is the owlets wingspan. Still only ounces? Hallow bones, the wonder of it all. Was unable to get a photo yesterday, but watched as Sol had fully extended, stretched out wing. Owlet was laying in the far right upper corner and stretched out the left wing. It actually touched the other side of the nest box.
One more photo from this morning. Luna preened Sol, actually had owlet under her wing at one point. Sol expressed his/her feelings with loud chirps. A feeding soon followed, Luna preened again and stared down at owlet, nap time and always time for a playful moment in between.
Sol is 36 days old today. Was away and it slipped my mind last evening to remark on Sol’s milestone of turning 5 weeks old yesterday.
Janice, This one’s for you, although Sol is no longer napping, what a sight.
0700am Nap time under mom!
Andrew, thank you so much for sharing these precious moments with us. I have been following Sol for some time now and have become very attached to the little one. I hope we are able to continue to watch as he learns and grows! thanks again! Janice
Oh my goodness. Amazing how just one person can ruin something for all.
Hard decisions were made about the Nottingham Peregrines which were correct but heartbreaking last year. If there were no camera then no one would know of these hard things. Thank you for your explanation and for your wisdom in dealing with Sol and his family. We admire this family of owls and what they are teaching us. It is priceless and I hope you will be able to continue sharing this lovely family with us.
I truly appreciate all your care and hard work that benefits us.
Gin
Will note time if and when it occurs again, Sol has been trying to climb out of the nest box.
Read that owlets will commonly climb, using beaks and talons to
aid in exiting nest. Strong instincts. Climbing for some time before they begin to attempt to fledge.
Suspect that Noche made a food drop earlier, fed Sol and after he left, Sol was self feeding on a possible mouse.
Aklsarratt in the SS commented and asked was it possibly a mouse, that was more than I had to go on! Also asked if this was the male, since Sol’s behavior was different. Answer, Yes, different behavior.
More cautious, different coo/calling, standing back.
Andrew,
Thank you. The statement given to us viewers, some time ago, regarding Sol’s condition is straight-forward. As long as you see fit, the Chimneyswifts page and the Ustream/Social Stream will continue to post observations and lighthearted moments, along with the unshrinking endeavors of owlet Sol. Also, the behaviors and interactions with Luna and Noche. How will they each adjust and react to these peculiar circumstances, time will tell. Luna has such patience, so much that a nonviable egg lasted 58 days, there is proof of it.
I have the utmost concern especially for Sol, but also for Luna and Noche. As you mention the pains of watching Sol’s efforts, I understand. Responses have to be based on observation, experience and not emotion. Also, Your leniency and tolerance is appreciated, extend that to include your family and close friends.
It saddens me that the dedicated efforts to share wildlife video with others has resulted in such controversy. I regard the medical advice relied upon as sound and the reluctance to intervene in natural events as responsible and typical of most licensed rehabilitation and wildlife management organizations.
My thanks to Andrew and Mike for making this educational and research opportunity possible.
I am sure you will do the right thing for Sol. Your thoughtful statement tonight confirms that. Thank you.
Hi all,
I need to address a few issues. As some of you may know I am the owner of the property where Luna and family reside. As of late comments have been posted on another forum about the practices we have chosen to follow in regards to Sol. I thought that this wouldnt be an issue anymore due to the statement left by Bob from Tristate. Unfortunately this is not the case. Mainly one person has brought it upon herself to make my family friends and myself look like heartless uncaring people. There is more to the story than is being told but I am not one to be drawn into childish games so I will leave it at that. My main focus is and always will be the owls. This project is not something on a infomercial where you set and forget. To provide everyone with a “birds eye view” of Luna and family takes a lot of time and resources on the part of everyone involved. Part of that time includes research and consultations with experts. Experts such as ornithologists and vets that deal directly with cases such as Sol’s. Claims have been made that our inaction is cruel but it is quite the contrary. From the many experts that have been consulted the consensus is the same. Any action on our part at this statge in Sol’s life would most likely result in him/her being euthanized. If we were to take Sol and attempt to treat him/her to find out nothing can be done then he/she will be euthanized. If they can treat the issue the time away from the wild may result in the inability to return him/her to the wild. In this case if there isn’t a proper facility to take Sol then he/she will be euthanized. I care deeply for Sol and it pains me to watch at times but in the end I have to look at best overall outcome. There is a chance and I emphasize chance that Sol may be able to live with his/her condition if we leave him/her be, so that is what we will do. I am an avid outdoors man and I have seen many amazing things when it comes to the resilience of nature. We are all hoping for the best but realize there may come a time when the benifit no longer outweighs the risk. We are not there yet so we will carry on our current course. I hope this allows some of you to understand the thought process and realize we aren’t looking through rose colored glasses. Lastly I do this because I love it and I want to share that with every like minded person on here. I have to say I am very disappointed with some of the comments that have been made and the actions of mainly one person. I haven’t lost sight of whats important here but I feel that some may have. Please take yourself out of the equation and rethink what you are doing. This recent experiance has tainted the original intent of the project and that is unacceptable. If it continues my friends and family will choose not to continue airing to the public and enjoy Luna and family on our own. I don’t mean that to be a threat it is only the truth. Thank you for your time and understanding.
Sincerely,
Andrew
I just want to say thank you for sharing with us this wonderful barred owl family. I just found little Sol by mistake last Friday. Little Sol has stolen my heart.
Please don’t stop airing this owl family. It would be a true loss for many.
Little Sol is in my prayers.
Thank you.
Owlgirl