And now there are four

The baby owl that fell out of a tree and taken away by wildlife staff has now returned home. Good to see all the members of the Owl Family are back together again. Hard to find a good camera angle when you’re way down on the ground, but here’s what I’ve captured.

The Owl Family. The two owlets in the middle, with mom and dad on each side of the young. Three of them on one branch, the other parent on another branch to the left:

Can you spot all four of them here?

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A closer look at three of them:

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Looks like Baby O. has fledged and learned to spread its wings. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Glad to see all’s well now with the Owl Family:

Soon the young ones will be gone. To where I don’t know. At least I’m glad I’ve a chance to see wings spread out and ready before they fly away. I’m sure Mama and Papa Owls feel the same.

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Arti

If she’s not birding by the Pond, Arti’s likely watching a movie, reading, or writing a review. Creator of Ripple Effects, bylines in Asian American Press, Vague Visages, Curator Magazine.

8 thoughts on “And now there are four”

  2. Wow — talk about good camoflage! I don’t think I still FULLY saw them all, even in the detail! So glad you were there to see them spread their wings. Those moments are so special.

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    1. I know, if not for another birder pointing out for me, I wouldn’t have noticed them. The owlets and one parent on one branch on the right side, the other’s back we can see on the elbow between the two branches, more on the branch to the left.

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  3. I just shared this post with a friend in Austin who had a nest box in her back yard. She installed a camera, and got to watch the whole process from egg to owlet departure. Both ways of observing these wonderful creatures have advantages, but there’s no question that the surprise and delight of finding them in the wild is special. I’m so glad your spring began with such wonderful sightings!

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      1. I do know that the same family’s been nesting in a tree at the Brazos Bend State Park for some years, and I know that I had the same bluejays coming back to my place each year for at least three years, so it’s entirely possible. I’ve heard that once birds find a place they feel secure, they’ll come back. Now that I think about it, some mourning doves have been nesting atop the same pillar on a dock at a local yacht club for five or six years. Every year I watch them build the nest, sit on the eggs, and then feed the young’uns until they fly off. All of this is anecdotal, of course, but I do believe your owl parents could be the same.

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  4. It’s so much fun to watch these bird families! I’m seeing/hearing our owlets some evenings; it’s been two weeks since leaving the nest box.

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