Did you know?
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Branching is what the owlets do during the period before fledging. They leave the nest and climb (with their feet and beak) to nearby branches and even glide to adjacent trees. The mother will only feed them in the nest, causing them to return to the nest during this period.
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They begin to branch at approximately 32 days old.
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The feet of owls have two forward facing toes and two backward facing toes (zygodactyl), seen in the photo below. Unlike most other zygodactyl birds such as woodpeckers, owls can comfortably pivot one of their back toes forward to help them grip and walk.
16 April - (approx. 33 days old) - They are at the age they may begin branching. The tree they are nesting in does not have any branches near or below. It is uncertain whether they will go through the branching phase.
Note: The photo showing the position of the toes is from 2021 nesting season.
Cloudy, 81F, S winds 9mph
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19 April - (approx. 36 days old) - Monitored the nest for about 4 hours today. It was a chilly day (in the shade & wind), the winds felt higher than the 10mph listed. They were tucked in most of the time, peaking out over the tire at times. The mother was perched high up in the nest tree.Then during the last hour (3:15-4:05) they became very active. One began eating something (couldn’t see what it was). The other seemed to be trying to toss a pellet.
Clear, 60F W winds 10mph
ID - GHOW04-19-23-07 - Mother perched overhead
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ID - GHOW04-19-23-02 - The food item is catching his attention
ID - GHOW04-19-23-22 - It is catching the attention of both
ID - GHOW04-19-23-08 - One of them begins eating
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ID - GHOW04-19-23-20 - He ate the food item, evidence seen on his beak
ID - GHOW04-19-23-21 - After that meal he slept
20 April - (approx. 37 days old) -Still no sign of branching.
Partly cloudy, 66F NNE winds 4mph
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