Great!

As in Great Horned Owls, the largest owl in the eastern US.  This isn't a great picture, but 1) there were quite a few branches obscuring a clean view, and 2) I did not want to get close enough to make them nervous, so it's heavily cropped.

There is, of course, a story here.  The pair of adult owls took over a crow's nest from last year - a strange location and a rather poor nest for a bird as large as this owl (24 inches).  Last weekend, in a pouring rain, my friend G got a call from the people who own the farm that a baby owl was on the ground under the tree.  Owlet was examined, taken for a quick xray to make sure it's wing wasn't fractured and then returned to a makeshift nest (a whicker basket secured to some branches about 20 feet off the ground. (with rain still pouring).  And all during the exam and "reinstallation" process, G was being barked and clicked at by both parents. I should mention that this species of owl has been known to attack humans who get to close to a nest.  My friend G has been referred to as a bad-ass when it comes to the things she does in the process of rescuing various birds.

Anyway, since the farm is fairly close to where I live, I've driven by to check on things, mostly to make sure one of the adults was perched in the tree which would mean the owlet was alive and well.  I dashed over this morning and once I could see the adult I clicked off a few shots from my car.  When I looked at the image to check to make sure it was more or less exposed, I was shocked to see the owlet perched right next to the adult!  And about 10-15 feet above the basket.  Which means the owlet managed to climb up the bark of the tree to get onto this limb.  Once owlets start "branching" it will usually be about 5 more weeks until they are ready to fly.  I'll be watching.

This afternoon I got my pre-surgery covid test and now Hubs and I must strictly isolate until after my surgery.  Which is fine - we have plenty to do around the house and property.  Tomorrow afternoon I will get my time slot for surgery.  We are fully stocked on groceries and chocolate and wine.  Good to go.

I read a lovely quote from Mother Teresa that I want to share, in addition to my message to stay safe and consume appropriate quantities of choclate:

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.


xo
Debbi