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Nature Done Wright
Incorporating the Celery Farm and Screech Owl Companion blogs
May 9, 2007
Meet the Fab Four! (w/videos)
Last night around 8:15, my wife and I activated the screech-cam monitor and witnessed a sight we had been hoping and waiting for ever since we decided to install the video-cam last summer.
Mrs. Ace had flown for a bathroom break, leaving her brood out in the open — in terms of the screech-cam at least.
And there they were, four little puffs of cotton candy (my wife’s nifty description), wadded together against the cold.
Although the above photo gives you a general idea of the scene, the three videos below say it better.
The first video is of Mrs. Ace still on her clutch. At this point, we did not know how many of the eggs had hatched, but were delighted to see the one little guy on his own for a moment or two.
The second video is of the four little fluff balls huddled together like some sort owlet rugby scrum.
The third video is a nice little surprise.
Note: I apologize for the video quality of the latter two: I used the zoom on the video-cam and it clearly captures the video less than optimally.
Live and learn. Like the owlets, I still have a huge learning curve ahead of me.
* * *
I know that the survival rate of owlets is low — the first year rate has been estimated at 36 percent for suburban screech owls by one researcher.
I know that these owlets, like all creatures, will face tough times ahead.
For now, though, I’ll just take a moment to celebrate their entry into this great big world.
9 comments
-
That’s great news. Congratulations!
If you get any photos, I will post them… -
I saw the baby, I saw the baby. Jim,
the mother was flying back and forth, back and forth trying to get him to fly to her.
Some crows scared him and he ducked back in and has not peeked out since. My, he has a face only a mother owl could love. And why is he so grey. Enjoy. -
Why am I being congratulated on becoming a grandfather for the owlets’ arrival?
I’ll take Uncle Jim — as long as my other nieces and nephews don’t mind.
🙂 -
Congratulations Grampy Drakes !!!
-
Just adding my Flicker as my homepage. More owl shots on it.
-
I welcome advice on how to speed up the video downloads.
I will look into this.
Thanks,
Jim -
Great vids. I particularly enjoyed the last one.
It’s definitely time for Quicktime Pro. I have broadband and it does take a long time to download. I was able to get the 30MB vid to 2MB without losing any resolution. -
Gosh, they are so tiny and so adorable watching them squirm for position. I must go check on mine. I have given up on the other owl house. I am just letting the squirrel
have it. -
It took me quite awhile to download the videos, but it was so worth it. What a special priviledge to be able to see these little creatures rustling around and hear their little peeps. What fun to see Mrs. Ace join them and rearrange them before settling in. I don’t want to think about survival rates either! It’s enough right now just to enjoy them and know they are snug —
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9 comments
Jim Wright
That’s great news. Congratulations!
If you get any photos, I will post them…
Candace Pfau
I saw the baby, I saw the baby. Jim,
the mother was flying back and forth, back and forth trying to get him to fly to her.
Some crows scared him and he ducked back in and has not peeked out since. My, he has a face only a mother owl could love. And why is he so grey. Enjoy.
Jim Wright
Why am I being congratulated on becoming a grandfather for the owlets’ arrival?
I’ll take Uncle Jim — as long as my other nieces and nephews don’t mind.
🙂
Doug M.
Congratulations Grampy Drakes !!!
Candace Pfau
Just adding my Flicker as my homepage. More owl shots on it.
Jim Wright
I welcome advice on how to speed up the video downloads.
I will look into this.
Thanks,
Jim
Pedro
Great vids. I particularly enjoyed the last one.
It’s definitely time for Quicktime Pro. I have broadband and it does take a long time to download. I was able to get the 30MB vid to 2MB without losing any resolution.
Candace Pfau
Gosh, they are so tiny and so adorable watching them squirm for position. I must go check on mine. I have given up on the other owl house. I am just letting the squirrel
have it.
Carolyn
It took me quite awhile to download the videos, but it was so worth it. What a special priviledge to be able to see these little creatures rustling around and hear their little peeps. What fun to see Mrs. Ace join them and rearrange them before settling in. I don’t want to think about survival rates either! It’s enough right now just to enjoy them and know they are snug —