The Who

Thanks to bird-loving friends, John & Cathy, I was invited to check out the Barred Owl nest on their Mequon property.

Barred Owls are the ones whose call sounds like, "Who cooks for you?" Or, where I'm from, "Who cooks for y'all?" The "barred" name comes from their horizontally barred chest and their vertically streaked belly.

The nest was in a hole in a tree and two owlets were still in the nest; one was already out when I got there.

Mom was in a nearby tree watching over her kids.

I was able to catch a family shot later.  (Barred owls stay with mom for about 6 months or more until they go to trade school, marry or commit owl crimes and go to barred cells.)

One was ready to leave the nest in a few days.

 They have a sad visage and soft, brown eyes.

After  a few days passed, all of the owlets were out and it became harder and harder to locate them.
 I was fortunate to get these shots of Mom feeding one of the owlets. I think it was a chipmunk.

Today I was there and could only find one of the owlets alone on a high perch.

Maybe the mom is getting used to having me stalk them with my camera, because she didn't seem to mind when I spotted her on the ground, where she stared at me for a while and then flew deep into the woods where I lost sight of her.

 After a while, I saw her looking back at me.

 Barred Owls have perfect markings for hiding in the woods, where they swoop down on their prey in silent flight. Can you see her in this photo?

I suspect that in a few days I might not be able to spot the owlets because they'll start shedding their baby feathers and will be flying to other hiding places.