How cool Brenda!
WAAAHHHHHH!! I want a barn owl! I want a barn owl! (throwing self on floor and wailing).

Looks like that thing has been watching waaaaaay too many Clint Eastwood movies!

Amazing photos Brenda! Hi Mama Marvin! :-)

~Waving hankie from Camp Nappy

Thanks, folks! I'm pretty excited about it, in case you couldn't tell. :D

I'm now 99% sure that was Ma Marvin, since I took the flashlight out this morning and saw a much smaller version of her high up in the treetops (although lower than Ma was yesterday)...which means he has definitely fledged! He was looking down at me and DANCING! Hi, Marvin! You're so marvey!!!

Brenda

Oh how sweet, look at that cutie! And how cool is that, right in your own back yard - I want one TOOOOOOO!!

Where's Papa Marvin? Hanging out at the bars? C'mon Papa! Junior needs you. ((We need some pics too!))

Lucky you - Barn Owls are rare here. They have the best hearted shaped faces! Congrats!

"Where's Papa Marvin? Hanging out at the bars?"

A bar owl??? I hear they got a great bar howl.

I'll go stand in the corner.

I wouldn't be surprised if Papa IS hanging out in the bars! LOL I don't know if they stick around for much longer than to break off a piece of that hot Mama owl. :D

Seriously, that COULD have been Papa giving me the ol' evil eye the other morning! That would explain the Dirty Harry reference. LOL!!!

Brenda

Hi Marvin, Sr. Your Mrs. is beautiful ... a little sleepy but beautiful!

Here is a pic I got yesterday morning. It's of that cottonwood tree hollow where they nest. I think this is one of the parents.

Early in the morning, before dawn, I shine the flashlight up in the trees in the area. Normally, I've been seeing one baby in the trees. This morning, I saw 2 young'uns chattering back and forth! They seem a LOT more white than the one in this pic, so that one must be a parent. (It's impossible to shine a flashlight and focus binoculars at the same time, so seeing them clearly is tough!)

As soon as the parent shows up in the early morning, they stop their chattering, so he/she must be bringing kibbles and bits (they're not hunting on their own yet). :D

{{gwi:169545}}

Brenda

Now....I want a barn owl too. That is just the neatest thing ever. Thanks for sharing. Smooch, Smooch!! Glenda

WOW! Fantastic picture of a beautiful (or handsome) owl! Do your songbirds scream at them all day or leave them alone?

We have a pair of little Screech Owls nesting in one of the Weeping Willows .... waaaaay up there. The songbirds are fine as long as the owls are home. If one of them happens to be in a different tree ... the song birds rain hell from above with their screams! And the poor little owl just kinds has one eye open as though pleading "Hey. Can't a guy get some sleep around here?!?!?

Can't wait to see a Marvy Marvin family outing series of photos. :-) Do you have an idea when the kids will fledge?

These owls are all-night partiers! Luckily, we use a big ol' fan in the bedroom for white noise, so we don't hear much (including rescue helicopters landing on the highway just steps away from the house, but that's another show...). I bet the neighbors are having troubles sleeping, though, what with the young punk owls screaming all the live-long night!

The only birds I've really heard raise a ruckus are the scrub jays. The owl in the first pic was doing that one-eyed thing when the jay was dive-bombing it right before I took a pic. LOL The other birds have been strangely silent the last few days, though. I'm always surprised when I look out to see the sparrows and finches feeding, because they're usually so vocal. We also have the American Kestrels nesting in that same tree, though, so that may have something to do with it. :D

The babies have fledged! I've seen 2 of them up in the other trees surrounding the nest tree in the early morning before dawn! I see I forgot to mention that one important point in my last post. LOL It sounds like the parent(s) are still feeding them, so not sure when they start doing that on their own.

I'm so thankful for "my" barn owls!!!

Brenda Perkins

LOL! Our Screech Owl have Flicker Wps nesting underneath. Needless to say ..... No one messes with either one! :-)

This is the only type of owl I've ever seen in person, can you believe it? I would LOVE to see a great horned or a screech...or even a precious burrowing owl! I'm getting greedy now.

I saw one of the parents fly during the day yesterday, and I didn't have my camera!!! It was actually gliding from branch to branch. OMG, they're so big and plump! It was eating some num-nums, and the jay was very upset. I caught Mr. Jay going after a sparrow nest under our eaves the other day, so he should realize what comes around, goes around.

This morning before dawn, I saw THREE baby barn owls lined up on a tree branch!! Marvin and Co. rock my world!

Brenda

I'd be camping out there with my camera, for sure, what a treat to see the whole family!

I wouldn't have even noticed the barred owl that was sitting in our maple tree last year if it hadn't been for the bluejays having fits .... and the big ole bird was not fazed one bit with those little squawking bluejays...

{{gwi:169550}}

What a beautiful photograph, Jean! What's that Blue Jay thinking? He's a little outsized, isn't he? LOL!

I met a Barred Owl once when I was at Oklahoma State University. Some fool shot one and left him on the golf course in 100° + F temps. He had a chest wound but recovered to go and do owl things. *VERY* cool to close a hallway in the vet school to allow the owl out for some flying time. :-)

The Marvin family outing! Didja get them to line dance with you? :-)

3DChick

That is so beautiful, Jean!!! I love how your photos always tell the whole story...like the bluejay in the background. Very cool!

Bad for the bird, but once again, AWESOME that you were there to help him on his way, Chicka! I can't even imagine how incredible it is to be that close to an owl, to touch it and cuddle. Ok, I'm getting carried away again. LOL

LOL @ line dancing! I'm very shy about shining the light up into their eyes in the early morning. I always feel like I'm going to mess with their wildness or something, so I haven't tried getting them all to dance with me...yet. :D They are SO loud now, I'm also worried some idiot in the neighborhood is going to do something stupid to quiet them up. I sound like an irrational, nervous mom!

Brenda

A burrowing owl has just been discovered nesting on a farm that is only about 1 1/2 hours away in Greenville Ohio... and the property owner is welcoming others to come see it! I just might have to go see it!

Oh, that's awesome, Jean! I'm sure it would be SO worth it to make the trip. Every time I see a picture of one, I can't help but smile. They remind me of cute little elf people. :D

I hope you get a chance to see one in person! They're not normally found out there, are they? So exciting!

Brenda

So, the three amigos are still saying stuff off and on throughout the night, but they seem to be venturing further and further out from this area. I kept wondering, though....where do they go during the day?

I happened to glance at the neighbor's roof the other day, and I saw TONS of poopies and pellets. I looked up, and there they were! And Mr. Marvelous Marvin was dancing for me! LOL The other 2 were just staring at me like I was a dancing idiot....well, ok, I was. :D

Then Ma or Pa showed up, and they started preening each other! So delightful, so delovely! I'll sure miss them when they go. :(

Brenda

Considering how successful their breeding was this year, I bet they will be back and you'll get to dance with Marvin's brother or sister!

Apparently the burrowing owl has moved on - probably scared off by the flocks of birders who descended on the property. After reading about everyone who went, I decided I wasn't going to go anyway - poor bird didn't get a minutes peace!

I sure hope they'll be back, Jean!! I remember their occasional screeching in years past, but yes, this successful year can only be a good thing!

I'm so sorry to hear about the poor burrowing owl. I know that most folks only mean well, but sometimes, people need to show some restraint.

Brenda