[cobirds] owls

Hi All,

 

Sorry for the late post but I have been busy with stuff....

First of all my little pygmy-owls fledged last Sunday and Monday.  Most everything about this nest was different than every other pygmy-owl nest that I have had in the past and that totals 17nests.

 

A number of things changed this year... #1)Normally I would say that pygmy-owls in Colorado (or at least in and around RMNP) have two to three young and the mother is seen perched outside of the nest at about three days after the chicks hatch. #2) The female does not take any birds near her nest because she doesn't want to draw attention to the nest by attacked birds that will give a distress call and alert other species to the owls nest.  #3) The male has never been noted entering the nest after the chicks have hatched and #4) The female would always be in view of the nest as she perches outside of it after the chicks hatch.

 

Well this year was quite different...

First of all the female this year stayed in the nest for almost three weeks before beginning to forage near the nest.

#2) The male entered the nest with food on several occasions, Got video of him entering the nest witha chipmonk.

#3) The female killed all of the birds near the nest with the exception of a pair of Pygmy Nuthatches that nested a few yards away.

#4) The female was noted on only three perched near the nest.

 

Now the reason all of this had changed...... In all of the other 17 nests that I have studied, the owls have raised only 2 or 3 young.  This year they had 5, yes 5 owlets... I have heard of this but have never seen such a large brood.

 

One cool thing that I did witness for the first time was seeing one of the owlets fledge. I even got it on video!  I was even able to catch and band the little guy.  Furthermore I arrived at the nest area three days after the owlest had fledged and saw all 5 owlets as they perched close to each other.

 

Scot Rashid

Estes Park