Owls in our Yard

Baby Screech Owls are so cute. We got a chance to see them up close. We didn't know that there was a nest in the tree by the patio until I looked out the upstairs window and saw this ball of feathers clinging to the tree. It had crawled out of the nest but wasn't able to fly yet. We watched it climb higher in the tree and then we lost sight of it. Momma owl had come along by then and was also sitting in a nearby tree. We gave up and got on with the days task of mowing the yard. I found the little guy later when I was mowing behind the patio, it had come down out of the tree and was hung on an old chair. I carefully got it on the ground and then the rest of the day we spent checking on the baby. A call to Glen Helen Rapture Recovery Center gave us information about the owls and said that momma would come back. They also said that usually the babies can't fly when they come out of the nest and can be on the ground for up to two weeks. After watching the one baby all day, they make a clicking sound with their beak when approached, we discovered another one under the porch. Now, we have two!!! We put them together and we spotted momma owl in the tree above us keeping an eye on us. One baby came out from under the porch and by dark it was gone, we think and hope that it flew away. Next morning the baby owl watch began again with the other one huddled behind the air conditioning unit. All day we checked on it and searched the tree for momma and just as we had been told, momma came back at dusk. First thing this morning we checked and the other one is gone. I'll be sure and check the trees tonight and see if momma is back, if she is the babies are still nearby. Hopefully, they have flown away...we can't get any work done.

Owl Update:

The baby owl appeared in the same location that we first saw it. Momma owl is in the tree above it. We could hear her around 4:00 PM in the woods screeching. Baby owl is still not afraid of us. We can walk up to it and all he does is click his beak and wink at us.

I saw a stray cat sneaking along our fence line. It does come into our yard at times. Hopefully, it will not come in tonight. If the mother is around she will attack the cat if it gets too close. We will check on it tomorrow.

Owl watch continues: Friday
This morning the little guy was still on the ground out in the open. I put it back under some cover. I went to Home Depot and when I returned, I couldn't find it, went inside and later went back out to have another look. I could hear Momma screeching so knew it was somewhere around. We also have a hawk nest in the top of a locust tree and I looked up at it and there our little guy was sitting on a limb. It can fly. It didn't pick the best of trees considering the hawk nest is high above in the same tree. After searching the trees, found Momma and TWO other babies. I'm getting a crick in my neck from looking up so much. It has been great fun trying to find them in the trees. Tomorrow they may all be gone. Fly away, fly away, free as a bird..