Baby Owl and The Vulture

_{All photos by Candy Dorsey © 2016 All Rights Reserved}

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This is the first picture I took in the morning of the baby owlet in the nest, completely vulnerable to predators who were already hovering. The mother owl wasn't with the baby owlet, I didn't see her anywhere. Sometimes the mother watches the nest from a distant tree, but a Joshua tree is perfect camouflage for an owl.

Finally, shortly before sundown the mother owl returned and took her place in the nest with the baby owlet. She has that 'don't even think about it' look in her eyes. The mother owl does this every day. But would that be enough protection?

Just as it was beginning to get dark, the papa owl arrived and stood guard in front of the nest as the mama owl stood behind.  This scenario occurs almost every evening.

It was February 4^th when I took the first photo of this baby owl in the nest. It is now March 10^th and the owlet is still in the nest but as you can see it is beginning to outgrow the accommodations. The section circled in red is the tailfeather popping out from the nest. I'll be keeping a watchful eye for when the baby attempts to fly away.

Six weeks have passed and the baby owl is still in the nest. Mom and Pop visit regularly and stay a while. The vultures haven't been hovering lately, possibly because the owl has grown so much it is now a threat to them. This is the latest photo taken today, March 17^th. This baby should be taking flight any moment!

We are now approaching seven weeks in the nest. The baby owl was in his nest all day on March 18^th. Being nocturnal, the baby took flight at about 7 pm that evening. It was dusk and I was trying to hurry in the semi-dark with a camera through the cactus in the desert. I managed to get this still of him atop a Joshua tree.

The natural behavior pattern of a baby owl upon first flight is such that he will take short flights from his nest to one tree then to another and another before returning to the nest. He will stay there until the next evening when he makes those short flights once again. So far, I've seen him do that three nights for about 10 minutes each time. It is now March 21^st and he is in the nest. I expect he'll be taking flight at 7 pm, but I don't know which of those flights will be the last, without returning to the nest.

I got there just in time for his second flight and captured it on video!

A Great Horned Owlet will stay in their nest for six weeks after hatching. This is much longer than most other birds. During that time, the mother owl will leave the owlet alone for several hours during the day, then return late afternoon. She will position herself in a nearby tree where she can see the nest and prepare to attack if a predator approaches. When she sees a predatory bird she will fly from tree to tree to detract it from the nest.

Just before dark, the father owl also stands guard either in the tree with the nest or in a nearby tree also acting as a decoy. The mother and father communicate back and forth during the night (I can hear them but can't see them).