Tag Archives: baby owls

Another great horned owl family

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Both parents were close to the nest. Mom out in the open in the top picture. Dad was trying to hide in the moss while napping.

Mom eventually flew down to the nest. She turned her back when she was feeding the little ones so I don’t have a shot of that. After a few minutes she left again, flying to a branch nearby.

The little ones sat quietly for while, watching people walk by.

Someone found a pellet right underneath where the Dad was sleeping. We were trying to figure out what he had eaten.

I ran into some friends who were there walking their dog. They stopped to chat for a while but the dog was ready to go. He wanted to be out running in the park, not sitting under a tree while his owners were talking.

The view of north Tampa bay from the park. The owl’s nest sits in a big oak tree in the middle of a parking lot. It’s a main thoroughfare for joggers and walkers so the area is very busy.

Photographing New Zealand

Watching owls grow up.

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The young great horned owls are very curious at this age. They were making faces at other birds that would fly by the nest.

Mom flew in for a few minutes and then took off.

They started yawning and looked like they were settling in for a long nap.

The view of the nest taken with my phone where we were standing. The nest sits right on a main trail and is very visible when people are walking along the beach.

Growing up in a tree.

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One of the great horned owl parents keeping an eye on the nest.

The baby great horned owls are very cute at this age. They were very curious and would bob their heads when a mockingbird or osprey flew by. They spent a long time looking around and then finally facing Mom in the other tree. They eventually dozed off.

Mom didn’t move all morning.

These were all taken in mid-February with my zoom lens and extremely cropped.

Fun flying faces

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Red bellied woodpecker

Carolina chickadees

Yellow crowned night heron

My favorite little titmouses.

A young mockingbird

Northern parula

Osprey flyby

Juvenile little blue heron in a sea of green and purple.

Curious baby great horned owls from high up in a pine tree.

A few birds in June at Chesnut Park.

SkyWatch Friday

Babies are getting big

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Another trip to Fort Desoto to see how big the baby owls had gotten.

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They were getting big. The sun wasn’t in my favor this morning. The owls were facing the other way.

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They were awake but didn’t move too much. They were facing in the direction of Mom, who was in a tree across the trail.

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They were half sleeping and would look around every once in while. There’s a lot of bird traffic going on since the nest is between two osprey nest. Seagulls and pelicans were cruising by overhead.

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Mom napping in a tree right on the trail.

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“What’s all that clicking down there?”

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Skywatch Friday

If at first you don’t succeed.

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One of the parents was sitting in a tree across from the babies.

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I turned around to see what the parent was looking at and saw this.

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Two fuzzballs were in the old owl’s nest.

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“What are you looking at big brother?”

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They were both watching the parent.

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“Dad, when are you gonna feed us?”

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The littlest one stayed in the same spot while the bigger one was moving around a little.

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I found the other parent high up in the same tree as the babies.

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As the sun was going down, big brother climbed over the other side of the big branch.

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I think most people had given up on the owl’s nest this year. For two months back in December they sat on the nest. I knew that was way too long. I stopped by in late January and both owls were off the nest. I think everyone thought they wouldn’t be successful this year and something must have happened. Did the eggs not hatch? No one knew for sure. I hadn’t been back to the park since then. Then I got a message from Judy about baby owls there and finally was able to make it over after work. I guess at some point the parents tried again. Better late than never. Thanks to Judy for the head’s up on them.

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Baby owls are growing up

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Just a handful of the photogs that were at the owl’s nest on an early Sunday morning. We were all standing around waiting for them to wake up. That’s my camera set-up front and center. This was taken with my Iphone.

More pictures from the early March visit to the great horned owl’s nest to see the twins. They were growing up fast. They are so animated when they are looking around and have the funniest expressions. We were so excited to see both of them doing well this year since the year before one did not survive. I paid one more visit after this one a few weeks later. They were hopping from branch to branch. Pictures of that visit will be posted later.

Linking up to Saturday’s Critters

Baby greats getting big.

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Sleeping wet balls of fluff.

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They wake up. What do they see in the sky? A bird, a plane, superman? or Super Mom?

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The sun came out for a few minutes.

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“How long are we going to be stuck in this tree?”

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Mom was sitting high up in an exposed pine tree.  Gulls and other birds started bothering her. They were dive bombing her. Then an osprey started to bother her.

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I don’t know why she stayed there. Eventually, she moved to a lower branch on another tree closer to the nest.

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“Let me see” said the younger one on the left. Mom had moved and now they were facing away from the sun and watching her.  This was the view staring into the sun on the other side of the tree.

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Now they were looking in opposite directions. That tree is starting to look rough.

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Is that a yawn or a yell for food?

It was a quiet morning. Even though there were lots of photographers there, everyone was whispering. Occasionally, when the baby great horned owls would look out, you would hear a thousand clicks go off when everyone starting taking pictures. It was weird watching the gulls bothering mom. What did they think she had? She didn’t have any food with her. The babies were tucked away in that tree and they were much bigger than the gulls anyway. She wasn’t out on the beach but back in the tree-lined picnic area. Several hundred pictures later, it was time for me to leave. I was having lunch with my aunt-in-law.

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Birds of prey on the nest at Honeymoon Island

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Walking the trail at Honeymoon Island, this is a common sight. The trail is full of osprey sitting on nests. Osprey raise their babies a little later than eagles and owls. Most of the eagle and owl babies in the area are almost grown up and the osprey were  just starting to lay eggs when I walked the trail in mid-February.DSC_3894

Another common sight, both parents on the nest.  This couple might not have eggs yet. The osprey on the left had a fish under his foot.

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I saw the above great horned owl before I saw the nest. She was sitting in a branch right over the trail.

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The nest is right on the trail so you can’t miss it. I saw two baby owls looking down.

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I don’t know what they were looking at here. Must have been a squirrel running around.

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“What are you looking up at?” said the older owl. He was probably watching an osprey fly by.

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As I was standing there watching the baby owls, the above landed on a branch right over my head. The trail is full of these red-bellied woodpeckers.

This was the same dark drizzly morning I saw the red breasted mergansers. Not too far from the parking lot is the owl nest. Everyone walking the trail can see the babies peeking out. I had heard they were there but didn’t make it out until they were almost grown. They looked very curious. Staring at anything that moved. The weather kept most people home so it was a quiet morning. Not many other birds out though. Tons of osprey and woodpeckers. I’m going to try to back there to see some osprey babies.

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Baby owls and some ibis on a sunny morning – Skywatch Friday

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One baby was facing me and the other one (on the right) was turned around.

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The older baby (on the left) was stretching her wings.

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This nest is so tiny. They were up against each other the whole morning. Mom was close by on an upper branch.

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Out on the beach, ibis were digging for breakfast.

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Double dipping. An ibis and a great egret were feeding together.

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I found the above birds at the north beach marsh. The tide was really low this morning.

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It was another perfect morning in late February.

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The beach was quiet. The water was calm.

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Lots of shells on the beach.

By now the baby owls at Fort Desoto are flying around from branch to branch. I heard that the park ranger has taken down the orange fencing that went around the area where the nest was which means they have fledged. They grow up so fast. I think they’ll still stay in the area for a couple of months so I’ll look for them next time I’m at the park. There weren’t many other birds at the park. It was cool and windy so the north beach was lacking in shorebirds. I could only find a few ibis and great egrets that morning. Spring break has begun and the beach will become a different place, full of loud kids chasing birds. Can’t wait.

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