Mama owl, baby owls, and raindrops...

Today was Matty’s first day of spring break, and I was only at the office through the morning, so after lunch, Matty and I headed over to Lake Isabella to see the baby owls. We didn’t know if the weather would cooperate, but the rain held off just long enough to get a couple of shots. When we first arrived, mama looked very protective brooding over her young.


Then suddenly, she moved a bit, and a light grey fluffy head popped up! What a fluffball…

Let's crop it down even more for a closer look!

Even the baby owl looks like it means business!

After about 10 minutes the raindrops started to fall, so we slipped under the cover of the gazebo hoping for a passing shower, but no such luck. We were planning on stopping off at the gravel pit next, but the rain just continued to pick up, so we headed home. There is always tomorrow!

Beak Bit
I’ve been reading Wild Bird Guides, Great Horned Owl, by Dwight G. Smith off and on for the past couple of weeks and recently read that the mama does all the brooding of the baby owls. When the babies hatch, they are blind and weak and are not able to stand. Their eyes do not fully open until the ninth or tenth day. They rely entirely on the mama for survival. The papa is in charge of bringing food to the nest, where mama tears the food into small pieces and gently places one piece at a time into the babies’ mouths.