May
19 , 2004 - the owl saga continues
Well, it's
back to the drawing board. We replaced
a very young owl chick on April 23rd. Nearly a month later,
three (of the five) owl chicks have fallen (or been kicked out
of) the nest and are once again in the care of Tricia Wilson.
As you can see, this one has developed considerably in the meantime.
The downy feathers on the back and breast of this youngster
is called "mesoptile plumage," as we learned last
year.
Now we've come up with yet another plan. Tricia will put the
three owl chicks in this "kennel" just below their
original nest, in hopes that the juveniles will keep in contact
with the parents and, at a later phase, will learn to hunt from
them. In the meantime, we will keep feeding them.
Remember
when we heard the low hiss
of the little owl chick? Now click the "play" triangle
above and have a listen to what three angry juvenile barn owls
sound like as Trish attempts to remove them from their carrier.
The first
one comes out without much of a struggle, and Tricia wraps it
in a blanket and takes it up to the kennel.
The second
owl puts up more of a fight, and Tricia has to use her net to
control it as she removes it from the carrier.
But she
finally gets all three owls into their new home.
