Female by Her Nest – Red-Bellied Woodpecker
These were taken in the same oak tree that the owls are in. There appear to be two species nesting in this oak tree, the Pileated and the Red-Bellied seen here. Right after I took the photo above, this female popped right into her hole (nest) and disappeared.
Taking a Break from Owls…a Pileated Woodpecker
Woody is one brave woodpecker.
Mr. Woody here just flew in with mama owl while I was shooting today. Mrs. Woody is holed up in the same tree as the owls and I have been noticing that whenever the female owl is around so is Woody. We know that small birds are one of the owl's prey, so these guys are pretty brave to have their nest in the same tree as the owls. I'll try to get a photo of the female coming out of her woodpecker hole soon.
Owls, Owls, Owls
This is Grumpy. She is definitely the alpha of the bunch and very much the star of the show. She is in charge when mom is gone, which happens more frequently now. These were taken last evening and the light was very good.
Grumpy
Yawn. This one is the largest, I call her Grumpy, Sleepy in the background.
Grumpy, Sleepy, & Happy
Happy, Sleepy & Grumpy
The one I call Grumpy is the largest of the three and thus I believe to be a female. The other two are probably males. They are really changing fast now. Almost every day there are dramatic changes in their plumage. The nest is really getting crowded!
Happy, Sleepy, Grumpy
First Good Look at the Chicks!
I got my first good look at the little ones today, albeit just a peek here and there. Mom was perched on one side of the nest as she does when she begins to let the chicks get acclimated to their environment. This will be the routine now that's she's out of the brooding mode. We can expect to see her standing on the side of the nest most of the day from now on, allowing her young to venture further and further out of the nest until one day they become "fully fledged" -- in other words, they fly for the first time. This should occur around the 1st of March.
Mom with two of her young.
I am almost ready to concede that there may only be two, although I still hold out hope that there are 3. If so, number 3 was napping today.
Name this owlet, leave a comment!
The one on the left below was really sleepy. How about that yawn! These guys are just too cute aren't they? So I'll call this one "Sleepy."
Are we keeping you up?
In the days to come, we will know if there are two or three, and we will begin to get a much better look at the hatchlings as they grow and get stronger. They will get much cuter too before shedding their fur-like feathers and they begin growing their adult feathers. Their eyes will become huge in relation to the size of their heads, and will turn a deep blue for a while. Stay tuned!
Name this owlet, leave a comment!