It's a tough life for a newly fledged owl.
The second chase showed how fast a learning curve these young birds have; this time the owl enticed his pursuer down under the crowns and skillfully flew through the canopy. The redtail made a couple of jinks on his tail but bailed upwards through a gap in the trees, thwarted.
You never know what you'll see when you walk in the woods.
At one of my local micro-patches of woodland, the longtime resident great horned owls have raised two young.
Fresh out the nest on its maiden voyage, this ball of fluff saw nature red-in-tooth-and-claw yesterday, in the imposing form of a mature redtail barreling out of the sky.
The first chase left the young owl stranded, wings caught agape in the crown of a high oak. After mewling for five minutes it finally struggled free in a shower of leaves.
The first chase left the young owl stranded, wings caught agape in the crown of a high oak. After mewling for five minutes it finally struggled free in a shower of leaves.
The second chase showed how fast a learning curve these young birds have; this time the owl enticed his pursuer down under the crowns and skillfully flew through the canopy. The redtail made a couple of jinks on his tail but bailed upwards through a gap in the trees, thwarted.
The mother owl cruised by shortly afterwards but didn't intervene in (or perhaps never saw) either of the redtail attacks.
The usual bluejays' badgering of the owl rose to a crescendo in the aftermath of the chase, with at least 6 of them orbiting the fledgling as he tried to recover his grace and composure. Emboldened by the owl's confusion, even a couple of warblers and chickadees joined in.
The usual bluejays' badgering of the owl rose to a crescendo in the aftermath of the chase, with at least 6 of them orbiting the fledgling as he tried to recover his grace and composure. Emboldened by the owl's confusion, even a couple of warblers and chickadees joined in.
You never know what you'll see when you walk in the woods.
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