I’ve been following this Great Horned Owl family for a few months now. At first I only spotted Papa, later I found Mama nesting nearby, now the two Owlets had come out too. Here’s my recent visit, the first Owlet I saw:
Here’s the second one. Took me some time to spot:
I didn’t have the chance to take a family photo, since each of them was on different branches, two adults and two young ones, but never far from each other though. Here you can see one parent (not sure if it’s Mom or Dad) keeping an eye on the owlet from a distance. Can you spot them both?
I love this… staying together, but also giving each other room.
**
Here’s a family photo I did manage to take, albeit from afar. Two Canada Geese with their Goslings close by:
Ah… the different parenting styles.
**
Saturday Snapshot is hosted on a new site now: Melinda of West Metro Mommy. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.
**
Related Posts on the Great Horned Owl Family:
Saturday Snapshot March 9: The Great Horned Owl
***
Ripple Effects 
I don’t think I’ve ever seen goslings. So sweet. Love the photos of the owls!!
LikeLike
I usually see adult Geese, seldom see Goslings too. So this is just by chance, and they were so far away, from across the creek.
LikeLike
Intriguing…I love the idea of how they give each other room….we could learn something from them.
Here’s MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST
LikeLike
You’re absolutely right. And, thanks for the link to your photos.
LikeLike
Your owlets are looking about the same size as the family I’ve been watching. Such cute little guys (or gals).
The different parenting styles are fascinating to observe. The owl family will spend the entire summer together while songbirds will raise 2 to 3 broods.
LikeLike
Leslie,
The owl family is quite a sight to behold, if one can spot them in the trees, now full of leaves. I can understand why winter or fall birding can be ‘easier’. I’ve yet to find songbird babies. So hopefully soon.
LikeLike
Great photos! I love bird-watching through your lens and blog! Thanks.
LikeLike
Thanks, Cathy! That means a lot! 😉
LikeLike
I love seeing baby birds. We had some baby Canada geese in our neighborhood but they’ve disappeared. 😦
LikeLike
Kathy,
I’m sure you have lots of other varieties to watch, all year round. Thanks for stopping by! 😉
LikeLike
Great pictures! I love owls and pictures of birds in general. You did a nice job capturing them on camera!
Here is my SATURDAY SNAPSHOT post.
LikeLike
Thanks, Melissa. You have some fine photos too. 😉
LikeLike
Love this Arti, you owl-wise woman!
LikeLike
heather,
O I like this! Thanks! 🙂
LikeLike
I saw cygnets on the canal today – five of them, with the parents. Absolutely beautiful. The adults were splashing about and diving into the water, and sending up showers of sparkling water droplets. It looked as if they were playing, but I assume it must have had a purpose. My Snapshot is at http://goo.gl/hfGhV
LikeLike
Christine,
I know we have swans here, but up till now, I haven’t seen any myself. Hope one day I’ll have the chance to see them in person, up close, adults and/or young ones. Good that you had that experience. Did you take any photos of them? Sounds like a lively picture.
LikeLike
Aw, baby owls! You make it look so easy to spot them, with your close-up shots. I did find them in the further shot, but I don’t know if I would have in the wild.
LikeLike
Ali,
As a matter of fact, those trees are birders hangout now… so it’s not too hard to spot the owls cause there’s usually someone there pointing out to you. 😉
LikeLike
I just saw my first clutch of baby mallards with their mama yesterday. It’s amazing how similar they look to the geese when they’re young. There’s about a 50% mortality rate among the mallards, I’d think. There are a lot of predators around. Still, the often hatch as many as ten or twelve or more, so it seems nature has things under control. If some weren’t lost, we’d be up to our hips in ducks!
The owls are my favorite, though. The camouflage is amazing (and yes, I did have to look up the spelling of that one!) Like Ali, I could find them in the photos, but I’m not sure I would have in the wild.
I rarely see baby songbirds until they’re fully fledged and following their parents around. I have a couple of sparrows I just recognized as fledglings (all that wing flapping and shrieking: Feed Me! Feed Me!). The bluejays still are carrying food back to the nest – soon their young ones will be out and about. And I hear mockingbird babies all over the place. I can’t see them, but their call (and that of the cardinals) is unmistakeable.
The nearby nature center is having an owl prowl on the night of June 22. I’m going to try and remember to call and make a reservation after the holiday. I want to see an owl!
LikeLike
Linda,
I’m still learning to ID babies of different species. That’s what makes spring birding so interesting and fun. And your ‘owl prowl night’ sounds most exciting. I wanted to see ‘my’ owl get to work too. I met this guy who staked out at night (around 9 pm) night after night watching father owl here hunting and then bring the prey back to feed his young. I wouldn’t want to go back there all by myself at night. But your community ‘owl prowl’ sounds like something I’ve been wanting to experience. But I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to take photos then.
LikeLike
How sweet are those goslings! I can’t quite tell if the owlets are much smaller than their parents. They’ve got that not-quite-a-chick but not-quite-grown-up look. Fun family portraits, Arti!
LikeLike
nikkipolani,
I was surprised to find them quite big in size, considering they’re probably a couple of months old. But they were puffed up too, with all what looked to be ultra soft down. It’s an itch almost not being able to touch them. 😉
LikeLike
That’s what I thought — that they looked almost full grown! I don’t suppose owls take to being petted. Shame.
LikeLike
The baby owls are gorgeous, so flufffy and downy. I rarely see adult owls, and have never seen owlets. I always like a Canada Goose picture.
LikeLike
Louise,
This is my first sighting of owlets too. I don’t know how long they’ll be here, but I know the spot, and other birders too. There are usually some birders below those tall trees, sometimes with tripod set up too.
LikeLike
What an opportunity to see this family of owls. Great photos. Here’s Mine
LikeLike
Paulita,
Yes, it was exciting. Thanks for stopping by and for leaving the link to your snapshot.
LikeLike
So sweet to see something this spectacular. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Diane,
It was quite an experience sighting this owl family and knowing that I can always go back and visit them. 😉
LikeLike
Love the owl shots in particular … they are so tricky to spot. We watched the comings and going of a Fairy Wren family in our backyard earlier this year. I took a couple of shots of the male hovering around but they are tiny and fast so the photos aren’t great. They were nesting in our prickly grevillea bush. We’ve seen them in our front yard before but never nesting – and certainly never nesting in the back. We worked out why. Last September our dear little dog whom we acquired a few months after moving into this house died. I guess it’s true about silver linings!
You might be interested in a novella I just reviewed … running through it are one of the main character’s observations of a kookaburra family. The info is real – the author is an agricultural journalist AND had a kookaburra family in her own backyard. It’s Carrie Tiffany’s Mateship with birds and it’s already won two significant literary awards this year.
LikeLike
I have a friend who loves both birds and cats… she has several of each kind in her house. She manages to keep them living at peace, but not in the backyard. Usually it’s the cat that wins the nature battle out there. Thanks for the link to your review. The novella sure sounds interesting… of birds and men?
LikeLike
It is interesting … and one of those you think about lots.
(Gatsby just opening here now …preview screenings with opening on Thurs I think … hoping to get to it in the next week or so)
LikeLike
I never knew that baby owls are called owlets. Great pictures, Arti. I love the geese with their goslings, too. Do these couples mate for life?
LikeLike
lameadventures,
Good question. I need to find that out too. ‘Owlet’ is a new word I learned not too long ago, so’s ‘cygnets’, just came across it in a comment above. You can learn so much just from the comments. Thanks for your question… now I need to do some research. 😉
LikeLike
Keep me posted! Your Saturday posts are my fix of National Geographic.
LikeLike
You talking to me? If so, that’s just too sweet! 😉
LikeLike
I love your nature shots! You’ve got quite an eye for bird watching.
LikeLike
What a joy to see, spring owlets and goslings, looked over by protective parents. Isn’t nature so wonderful to observe when new offspring are part of their daily rituals.
LikeLike
Claire,
And the hunting and feeding too… that’s a ‘ritual’ I still haven’t been able to observe.
LikeLike
Owls are not commonly spotted in Australia, so it was wonderful to see your pictures. Even the owlets faces look full of wisdom and serenity.
LikeLike
Brona,
I just think they’re so cute, and so cuddly, downy. Too bad I can’t go near and pet them.
LikeLike
Oh, those owlets are so dear. SO dear. But so, too, is the goose family. I remember when you first introduced those owls — how wonderful to see their babies!
Have a wonderful weekend. Sending hugs!
LikeLike
Jeanie,
It’s such a pleasure watching them over these months. Just like I’ve made a new friend whom I can visit whenever I want… albeit that’s not what the Owl family thinks.
A very happy Memorial Weekend to you!
LikeLike
Great pictures! Owls are such majestic birds! Thanks for taking part in Saturday Snapshot!
LikeLike
Thanks for taking up the task of hosting Saturday Snapshot, Melinda!
LikeLike
I’m avidly following your ‘owl’ posts. I adore owls!
LikeLike
Nicola,
Thanks! There will be more. 😉
LikeLike
The owlets are so cute! As are the goslings. All those fluffy feathers just makes me say awww!
LikeLike
Stefanie,
I went back and visited the owlets. Again, so very cute. And I have seen more duck babies too, just today… Eager to share them with you.
LikeLike
BABIES!!!!
I live for Autumn and Winter, but one of Spring’s saving graces are the birds. Mourning doves making their homes at my parent’s house and Boyfriend’s garage, mockingbirds ready to buzz anyone getting too close to their families, sparrows making their nests…everywhere. The hum and chirp of nesting birds – love them.
Your photos make me wish I was there, watching the suddenly gentle raptors or the geese with their golden goslings.
LikeLike
Aubrey,
Guess we have very different species of birds in our neck of the woods. That’s just so interesting, exchanging info’s. I don’t ‘live for’ Winter here… but Autumn is most beautiful, even more than Spring. I went back out there today and saw the Owlets again, and some Goslings, and duck babies… I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment.
LikeLike