This is a new family for me. I only saw one owl on the side of a rural road when it was getting towards dark, but earlier I had heard two calling back and forth deeper in the woods in the same area. For a few days I have been witnessing the tell tale signs of their presence, but they appeared to be staying deep in the woods when I was there. Last night I was finally lucky.
This was was pretty close to the edge of the road. All of these photos are lightened and cropped. I also use a zoom lens.
I could not believe how close this one flew behind my car which I was using as a blind. It seemed totally unfazed by me. I think it may be an owl born this past spring. By now they are the same size as their parents and indistinguishable from the older owls. In addition, by now they are on their own. They are hunting for themselves and will move further away, but usually within 8 miles of the nesting tree they were born in. Cornell University banded some owls and they found they did not move any farther away than 6 miles from the tree they were born in.
The owl flew back to the tree. Then another person who pulled over said when it flew eventually further away they saw another owl perched further back. If it was a juvenile, that might have been its sibling. These owls were flying low and luckily this road was in a farming area, so not a lot of traffic, but crossing roads is one of the biggest hazards for owls. Collision with cars are the leading cause of injury and death for owls. Happy Friday!
