Little Owlet earns its wings...4/22/2023

Great-Horned Owls and Bald Eagles both nest much earlier than other birds in our area sometimes as early as February. The owlets and eaglets require more care from their parents to find food and be successful so it takes them much longer to become independent than other birds. Such was the case for this beautiful Great-Horned Owl family just west of Boston. The owlets were likely born around 8 weeks ago in a nearby nest and are just beginning to learn to fly from tree to tree. From the photos, they still have their young fuzz, but their primary wing feathers are very developed and they are almost the same size as their parents who will continue to feed them for a few more months.

All four of the family members, Mom, Dad, and the two owlets were present on both sides of the trail incredibly high up in the pine trees. The two adults then flew to the right side of the trail and joined the larger owlet- it looked like they were telling secrets... For the next few minutes, the littlest owlet was left alone on the left side although it was practicing using its new feathers and seemed quite determined to join the rest of the family. It was so fun to peacefully watch the process from a distance with a few other dog walkers. No tripods in sight! Little Owlet was finally successful. :)