Baby Barred Owl Doing Fine

I have been getting reports from my birding friend Gail. She has been seeing the Night Heron even though they have been hiding from me. Better yet, she sends observations of the Barred Owls that nested and fledged a young one earlier in the year. That is all archived in this blog under the Barred Owl label.

She has been seeing them right after sunrise. By the time I get there a couple hours later, everything has disappeared. However, Gail managed a photo during the latest sighting and she graciously let me share it. Seems our dark little owl is growing into a dark big owl!



Also of interest, I was about to email Gail when I received the photos. I was going to tell her about the encounter I had last night...

Just before total nightfall, I heard a Great-horned Owl calling outside our kitchen window. I grabbed a flashlight and a camera and ran out to try for any photo I could get. Before I got to the side of the house, baby Barred Owl flew in and started skreeing like it does for food from the parents.

It figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't Mom or Dad and started making its way along the telephone poles before fading into the dark.

I didn't get any good shots of either bird but it sure was exciting. Then I get photos of Baby the next morning. Excellent.