I did make it into Estabrook Park this morning, and it was a very nice morning, but I didn’t see anything new, so while I’m off on my next boondoggle, let me tell you a little story.
Way back on March 8, when we first saw the screech-owl and the wood ducks, I also showed you this picture of a great horned owl. What I didn’t tell you at the time is that I had gone looking for it on the other side of the river, since I hadn’t seen it on the island in a while. I was a bit surprised that I found it at all, let alone got a nice picture.
Well, I went back on March 12 and found it again, but the big surprise came on March 16, when I showed you this picture in the snow and with the nest cropped out. We’re supposed to protect their privacy when nesting, so as to avoid attracting crowds, and I did my best to keep it under wraps. As you will see, it has fledged a while ago, and I haven’t seen it in a couple of weeks, so I believe it is now safe to share the story.
Then I went to Colorado, to see the pine siskin, and when I came back on March 25, check out the scene that greeted me. Yup, we had a great horned owlet, and since there was no way to crop this picture to protect the innocent, I just had to leave it out of my post. Sorry.
Here’s another view from the same day but a different angle so you can see one of the parents in the nest, too. The owlet appears to be already pretty good sized, so it may have already been hatched in one or more of the previous sightings, but was keeping warm under Mom or Dad’s protective feathers.
Stay tuned for the rest of the story….
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 