whoo whoo

These are Desert Great Horned Owl babies born and being raised in a huge Joshua tree in my mom's neighborhood. There is another sibling on the other side of the tree.

Courtship of their parents began in December and these babies will be ready to leave the nest soon. They will grow to about twenty-two inches. It took me a little bit longer than usual to identify these cuties because their ears haven't developed yet. But their eyes and breast patterns were the dead give-aways.

They are the main attraction in the neighborhood with people gathered there constantly gawking at them, but they don't seem to mind. They are quite a ways up in the air. Mom and dad haven't been seen in quite some time. I have a feeling that feeding might be done at night.