Learning the ropes
Well it's been fairly full on with the three new owlets arriving some three weeks early this year, but they now have more or less fledged. As they begin to become more 'street aware' the more they become independent & are a lot more wary, their 'animal instinct' kicking in. In doing so they have also expanded their territory and foraging, hunting and flying some 300-600m away from the nest site, good for them, making me work harder too, but still occasionally coming back to familiar posts & locations. Recently they seem to have taken to a 30ft+ stack of chopped up/shredded conifer trees where they can find a good selection of food, bugs, beetles etc, putting into practice what the parents have been teaching them. It's great just to watch these guys watching what their parents do, then they try to implement things, however it doesn't always go according to plan.
Sadly I'm now not sure if the youngest has survived, the smallest out of the three and last to always be fed, I've not seen it for over a week, so... When it's time to clean out the nest box later this year we will see, however I will be erecting another conservation box up in another location, so hopefully these new arrivals will have some shelter come the winter.
Thanks for all the comments & feedback on the previous posting.
Steve
Subject: Little owlet starting to hunt (Athene noctua)
Location: UK
Camera: Canon 1DX
Lens: 200-400f/4 Gitzo tripod/Uniqball head
Exposure: 1/640s at f/8 ISO800 EV +0.33
Original format: Portrait
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BTW have we let you in yet?
