Well, we (they) fledged an owlet! One night we saw a form standing on top of the nesting box where we had guessed the barred owl nest was located. And sure enough, there was a little owlet standing there! He would glance around at all the neighborhood sounds, but stayed there for a few days. Once a baby bird leaves the nest, they are called a fledgling. This guy would have been too young to feed himself and not a great flier just yet. So they hang around the nest site and the parents will still feed them and watch out for them. We did see the parents chase off another intruder owl that flew in. They snapped their bills at him and a minor fight ensued until the interloper moved on.
Both parents were together often (they have the same plumage, but the female is the larger one) watching over the owlet and watching us as well as preening and feeding each other. So cool to have an up close and personal chance to share the neighborhood with them. After a few days, the owlet was no longer at the box and the parents started moving around more and were visible to us less often. Hope the young owlet continues to learn about his new home and is enjoying our woods. And I hope they return to nest in our neighbor's box again next winter.
Adult hunting for frogs and toads at dusk.
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