The Day has arrived! They fledged.
01 May - (approx. 48 days old) - I arrived at the nest site about 8:00am and did not see them in the tire. I scanned the area and found one on the top of a snag. A few minutes later I saw the other one in the distance high up in a tree.
(Scroll down to view the June Update most recent pictures)
25 June - (approximately 104 days old) - I was out birding at CBEC and decided to check for birds at the Hummock Loop (I don’t usually have much luck in that area). I looked around and in the distance, perched in a tree I saw what looked like a football in a tree - an owl! I got a quick (bad) picture just in case it flew off. I moved to another area and saw flight - I wasn't sure if this was the one I just saw or a second one. It landed in a good spot to get pictures. I also heard the feeding call. I knew right away these were the owlets (juveniles) from the tire nest. They flew from tree to tree in the same area a few times, every so often calling for food. At one point I had eyes on one of them when I thought I heard a call to my left. Even though I didn’t have the opportunity to see both at the same time these clues led me to believe they were both here. When I got home and viewed the pictures I was able to confirm it was both. Below you can see the difference between them. Looking at my previous pictures I was able to match them up.
I am pleased to know they are doing well.