Tag: owlets

Dancing With The Stars

Timothy Price43 Comments

Out at 4:00 am dancing with the stars and planets and La Llorona and Chupacraba

Since I got home late tonight, I didn’t do any redneck roofing. Instead, I went out to check on the owls. We had not seen any sign of the owls for the past 3 days. I think part of it was the fire department was running their super noisy airboat up and down the river all weekend watching for fires in the bosque. On Thursday, 30 acres of bosque burned south of Montaño Blvd., about 8 miles south of us. All was quiet tonight. The first bird I encountered looked like a juvenile Western Blue Bird. Then Daddy Owl came swooping through the property and landed on Susan’s tree. I thought he was going to get a squirrel squirreling around up ahead of me, but he didn’t go for it. But then our bunny came running out and he showed interest in the bunny. Laurie bravely stood between Daddy Owl and the bunny as we told Daddy Owl to leave our bunny be. We told him he can get all the squirrels and gophers he wants, but we draw the line when it comes to our bunny.

As we were heading to where the owlets hang out, a Cooper’s Hawk buzzed us and landed on a nearby tree for a few seconds. When I got up to the Tangle Heart Tree, Mama owl was just taking off to go shopping. The owlets were there peeping like crazy wanting Mama and Daddy to bring them food. A few minutes later Mama Owl returned and gave Mary whatever she caught. When I looked at what Mary had in her beak in the photo, it looks like a cicada, but I can’t say for sure. Mama, flew back to Wowlmart, as Shey calls it, but it was getting dark, so we didn’t stick around to see if she or Daddy Owl came back with anything interesting.

Mars and Jupiter

Western Bluebird

Daddy Owl on Susan’s tree eyeing our bunny. He gave up after we told him no.

Cooper’s Hawk

Mama Owl flying off to Wowlmart.

Smokey sunset.

Sliver moon

Owlets On The Tangle Heart Tree

Timothy Price62 Comments

Daddy Owl Shopping for dinner

Laurie was out before I was, and got Peter, Paul, and Mary on the end of the Tangle Heart Tree.

When I got up to the Tangle Heart Tree there all three owlets were in the tree, but Peter was in front of Paul and Mary was sitting on the backside of the left-hand branch.

Peter, Paul, and Mary from the backside of the Tangle Heart Tree.

Paul looking over Peter’s shoulder

The Owlets were frolicking in the Tangle Heart Tree (click on the gallery to see a slide show).

A pensive Mary

Jupiter rose a minute after Mars this morning. They were very close together. Stars in the early morning sky. The moon rose looking away from Venus.

Together

Timothy Price73 Comments

How many owls can you find in the above photo?

Mama Owl in the Tangle Heart Tree.

Peter, Paul, and Mary together again in the bosque eleven days after Peter flew the coop.

Peter, Paul, and Mary

There was a 50% chance of rain, but any rain evaporated long before it reached the ground. The wind blew a lot of dust, however.

Snowy

Timothy Price55 Comments

A Snowy Egret flew by at high speed this morning.

Violet-green Swallows were swarming over the river catching insects. They were also flying close to the water splashing in it as they skimmed the surface. I was not able to get still shots of them splashing.

Mary flew over to the tree with Paul last night. She was really proud of herself this morning perched in the shade with her chest up and out like “See what I did?”

Paul and Mary. Daddy Owl was sitting in a cottonwood in the bosque where he could see both of them in their new tree between the ditches. It will be interesting to see how long it is before they fly into the bosque.

New Owls

Timothy Price54 Comments

“Ah! Mama! There’s a weird Paparazzo pointing a bazooka at us.”

Yesterday, David, a neighbor to the north, said he saw two owlets down by where he lives. We went to check it out and only saw an adult owl. I went back to see if they were out tonight. Not only were they out, but the owlet’s mama was also feeding one of them a squirrel.

This owlet looks like the older of the two.

The mama was not too sure about the pesky Paparrazo.

Cows at sunset

Mary and Paul were still plotting their flight across the ditch tonight. Peter is still waiting for them.

The Plan

Timothy Price60 Comments

“Hey, Mary do you think you can make the flight?” “I’m not sure. I need more practice!”

“I’ll give it a try!” “High beak!”

“Hahahaha! I think we can do it!”

Paul and Mary were very active tonight flying from one spot to another on the tree. I will not be surprised if they fly to the trees between the ditches tonight.

Mama & Owlet Action

Timothy Price51 Comments

Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn at 5:17 am. Jupiter is catching up to Mars.

Mama Owl in the top of the tree above Paul and Mary. Peter in the tree across the ditch.

Mary was napping, but then she popped right up when Mama brought her a mouse.

Feeding Mary and little more of whatever Mama had in her beak.

Paul was feeling left out.

“I want another mouse, Mama!” “Enough already!”

Paul finally got up onto the same branch with Mary.

Mary testing her wings.

Mama looking for another meal. She flies off the catch something.

Stop! Dead End!

Timothy Price50 Comments

After howling winds blew most of the night from 9:30 pm to 4:00 am, the sky was full of smoke in the morning. The winds had fanned the fires burning in New Mexico. If you are feeling the burn it could be because Uranus is “very close to Sun…” Uranus rises at 5:28 am on May 17th, and it’s “just 10 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult or impossible to see it.”

Paul (lower left) and Mary (upper right) were still in the big cottonwood that the nest is in.

Peter, Paul, and Mary this evening.

Sunset

Frolicking Flycatchers

Timothy Price46 Comments

A couple of Flycatchers were frolicking in a tree under the bright morning sun.

Mary and Daddy Owl

Paul trying to get a little shade from the branch above him.

Mary and Paul in the morning and at dusk.

Peter was high in a cottonwood across the ditch from the nest enjoying the shade in the morning. At dusk, he was on a different branch where he had a good view of the Clearwater ditch and bosque. He was much harder for me to see between the leaves and branches.

The moon was at 96.9% full tonight. It doesn’t pass the meridian tomorrow night, and it will be eclipsed into a super flower blood moon.