And even more cruel

The last post was on Saturday. On Tuesday, the same neighbor brought over another owlet he found dead in his yard. In this case, the young owl was found lying face down and showed no sign of trauma. Yesterday I delivered it to the Raptor Trust and one of their employees conducted a necropsy--result was that there was no food in the young birds stomach. She could find no reason other than not being fed and confirmed that there was apparently no physical injury or other reason for death. Apparently the family became so scattered after they left the box that the parents were unable to care for them all.

After we found the dead bird on Tuesday, I scoured the trees around my yard and found an adult roosting with two of the owlets. These owlets appeared to be in good shape and I left them all there together without any disturbance. Bottom line is that 2 are gone, 2 are fine and one is unaccounted for. Hopefully at least the two will continue to receive enough nourishment and continue to thrive to adulthood.

Sometimes Nature is Cruel

I received a message from a neighbor this afternoon with bad news about one of the owlets. He had found the remains (both wings and scattered feathers) of a young screech owl in his yard. He also found 3 of the owlets huddled together about 4 feet off the ground in a young sapling nearby. I went over and we checked it out. There was no evidence to suggest what killed and consumed the young owl. They have been spending a lot of time on or close to the ground so it could have been any number of things including a larger bird (Great Horned Owl?), fox, or even a feral cat. We could not locate #5. At least 3 are still doing well and staying together so here is a photo of their progress:

Family Progress

I ran into the owl family this morning while I was walking my dog. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me at the time because there was one owlet (still looking pretty young) on the ground, at least two more were nearby a few feet off the ground in a shrub, and at least one adult was clicking its beak, warning me to stay away. By the time I took my dog back to the house and retrieved the camera, I could only find one owlet high in a tree but all of the other birds in the yard were still screaming a warning to all who would listen.

Habitat for owls is so much more than just a box on a tree. The family has moved into a "wilder" part of the yard where there is substantial cover to hide in during the day. There is also ample food and a nearby source of (at least seasonal) water. Their presence may impact "The Catbird's Meow" but it is habitat for all.

Last Owlet Fledged; Blog NOT ending

The last owlet left the nest box on Tuesday evening, May 24 about 8:20 p.m. It was still light outside but it rapidly blended into my Certified Backyard Habitat (National Wildlife Federation) and I was not able to find it. I know it was there because both adults "attacked" me as soon as I stepped outside the door to get a better look at where it might have gone. Not wanted to disturb them, and knowing that they had much work to do to gather all 5 of their offspring together for a night of feeding, I retreated indoors. Yesterday (Wednesday), I located 2 of the owlets in a nearby tree row where they were well camouflaged as tree branches.

I will continue to follow the owl family out side while they are still in the neighborhood and update the blog with any "happening". I will also be reviewing the many hours of recorded videos as I have time and will post here any clips I assemble If you would like to be notified of them, all you need to do is indicate that you would like to "follow" the blog which you can do with any e-mail account-- OR

I will begin to use my other dormant blog, The Catbird's Meow. This blog was intended to be a place to put information and opinion on my favorite topic--Backyard Habitat for Wildlife, particularly the use of Native Plants. If you decide to follow that blog, I will also include links back to NJ Screech Owl when appropriate--and of course next spring, look for this to all happen again, with bigger and better coverage.

Thanks for following--and love your backyard wildlife as much I as love Momma Screech and her family!

One Lonely Owlet . . .

. . .is left in the box. Three more left over night with the next to the last leaving at about 5:15. I am starting to get empty nest syndrome. I am sure that Momma and Papa have plenty to keep them busy with 4 out in the world needing food and defense. Here photos of 2 of them:

One Down, Four to Go

On Sunday morning, there was a little bit of chaos in the nest box. At the beginning, two owlets were looking out; when it was over, the camera was completely altered and only four owlets remained. Apparently during that feeding episode at about 5:00 a.m., one of the owlets left, or was pushed out of the nest box. I readjusted the camera. After searching high and low, I can not find either the owlet or either of the adults. However, I am not worried. It was time to leave. The box is very full and during Sunday evening, both Momma and Papa were defending the area around one of our maple trees. This means that something was there to defend. I left them alone. Watch tonight (Monday) and see if any of the other owlets follow. Here is a video of the morning of 5/22 (Sunday morning):

Baby looks out

The owlets are spending a lot of time looking out and thinking about the future. Here is just one shot from about 7:00 tonight: