The owlet on the right is the one from yesterday’s post. After I took that picture he joined his sibling, and that slight head turn was the closest look I got.
May 17, 2022
Barred Owl Owlet Pair
Tag Archives: Owlet
Barred Owl Owlet
The establish pair of Barred Owls at Magnolia Plantation had two chicks again this year and so far both have survived. They have moved from the nest area to a small pond where soon they will learn to hunt. This one was a bit more adventurous than the other while I was watching, hopping to his own branch for a look around.
May 17, 2022
Barred Owl Parent
The establish pair of Barred Owls at Magnolia Plantation had two chicks this year but it seems just one survived once they left the nest which I featured yesterday in my post Barred Owl Owlet.
This is one of the parents that was watching from 100 feet (30 Meters) away.
I got distracted from photographing while pointing out the adult, then the chick, to an interested passing couple. One of them had never seen a live owl of any kind and was extremely excited, which made my day.
May 16, 2021
Barred Owl Owlet
The establish pair of Barred Owls at Magnolia Plantation had two chicks this year but it seems just one survived once they left the nest.
I saw them peeking from the nest the first week of April so this one must be at least 8 or 9 weeks old.
Not a reliable flyer yet, he will depend on his parents for food for several more weeks when they’ll start to teach him how it’s done.
One of the parents was watching from 100 feet (30 Meters) away; the other may have been right there, too, but I didn’t see him.
May 16, 2021
Barred Owl Owlet
Way up in a pine tree this fuzzy Barred Owl Owlet was drying off after a downpour.
One of his parents was over by the bamboo pond; I did not spot the other, but don’t doubt it was nearby.
Based on previous year’s experience we’ll soon be seeing junior closer to the pond to get hunting lessons.
Barred Owlet Camoflaged
It would be easy to walk right underneath this Barred Owl Owlet without even knowing he was there. I probably have more than a few times!
The adult that was with him for his Eating Lesson had flown off to sit over the pond, leaving the little fellow on his own.
He was somewhat covered by the pine boughs and his coloration seen from a predator above would blend in with his surroundings. When I was leaving I saw the other parent a few trees away keeping his eye on the area.
Barred Owl Owlet Eating Lesson
It turns out that the Barred Owls I’ve been watching have a chick. The first time I spotted him he was getting a feeding lesson from one of his parents. The adult demonstrated then passed the item, which I could not identify, to the owlet.
They were very high off the ground and many branches prevented a good view. These owls are very accustomed to people passing by. With hundreds of acres available to nest they chose a spot near a popular walking path through Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
Barred Owl Owlet
A Barred Owl pair with two fledged owlets has been seen regularly from the boardwalk at Beidler Forest. We spotted just this one youngster taking short flights in the limbs above us.
The owlet was curious about the humans passing on the boardwalk below him, not bothered by our presence. A school group of about twenty-five kids and chaperones had just passed and a few of their stragglers stopped with us to watch the chick.
Spectacled Owl Chicks
The Center for Birds of Prey has an active breeding program. The chicks they raise are used in educational programs here and also are swapped to other similar facilities around the US.
These cuties were not on the schedule for our Photography Day, but conditions were good for these two Spectacled Owl chicks to come out and strut their stuff.
Well, mostly they just sat; they could walk and did a little wing flapping. I neglected to note how old they are, somewhere in the few week range.
Cuteness times two:
The Center for Birds of Prey offers photographers an opportunity to take close-up photographs of owls and other birds of prey a few times a year.
The Center for Birds of Prey, Photography Day, April 22, 2018, Awenda, SC.