Well … yesterday it rained … and by nightfall the winds were blowing in off Lake Superior at 30 mph. Through the night I could hear the rain through the open window, and when I was semi-conscious this morning I could hear the fog horns of multiple lakers (looks a bit like and oil tanker ship, except it carries iron ore … we call them ore boats.) All the ships were steaming past the mouth of the Lester River near my home, and given the heavy fog … they had their fog horns blaring.

Thus, I know the owls would not be happy with the weather, and when the fog lifted a bit around 9 am I suspected I might find the owlets and Mom at the top of a tall white pine trying to dry off a bit. I was correct!

Mom Great Horned Owl (before joining her owlets)

Trying to Dry Off (and watching crows)

Seven days ago my owlets were best buddies … friends forever!

However the older of the twins decided to make its first flight four nights ago. This left the younger owl, which was born a few days after its older sibling “home alone”! It was not a nice experience for the youngest Great Horned Owlet. While Mom and Dad still delivered food, when the big spring storms hit there was noone  with which to cuddle up and stay warm. This was NOT enjoyable!

For Mom Great Horned Owl life actually became more difficult. She had youngsters now in two very different locations. The trees / perches she had used for the past month were now useless, for they did not provided the proper lines of sight to her youngsters. Not too surprisingly she often needed sleep (notice how the feathers on her eyelids even help camouflage the sleeping owl).

For the older owlet there was now a new forest to explore, but given weak flight muscles it does not fly far or often. In this series of images taken just before sunset last night the oldest owlet closely watches marauding crows. Thankfully, even though the owl’s perch is rather exposed, Mom took one for the team. She started hooting to attract the crow’s attention and then made a short flight to really get the black birds mad at her (and ignore her owlets).

Both owlets have now fledged, and the youngest has joined its older sibling in the world of flight. I am somewhat relieved to have the birds away from their nest. I was extremely careful in terms of not telling many friends the location of this year’s nest. The owl family were hiding in plain sight right above a major hiking trail, but thankfully to actually see the nest one had to enter the deep edge of the forest … which the hikers almost never do.

Learn more about the early life experiences of Great Horned Owlets via Cornell.

I should have known that yesterday would be a good birding day when one of the Great Horned Owl parents visited my yard at 3 am and hooted away for over 15 minutes. With my windows open I often awake to hooting, and then quickly fall back asleep. It is truly relaxing.

I decided if the parents were willing to visit me, I should be sociable in turn. Shortly before sunset I hiked over to the nest and the owlets were showing they were siblings who would friends forever!

Once I walked home, I thought my birding was done, but with the last light of day a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker visited one of the three prime drumming trees in my yard. In total, yesterday all of these woodpecker species took a turn at drumming on the tree. I’m getting pretty good at knowing which species is visiting based upon the syncopation  of the beat. My drumming tree visits were from:

• Downy Woodpeckers
• Hairy Woodpeckers
• Northern Flicker (seems to be a favorite catch for my owls)
• Pileated Woodpeckers
• Red-Bellied Woodpeckers
• Yellow-Bellied Woodpeckers (pictured below)