Fun Fledge Florets Cowliflower!
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Fun Fledge Florets Cowliflower!
Fledge Facts and Florets From Cowliflower!
What is Fledge =
Answer: First time an owlet steps out of the box onto the porch. Typically 51 to 57 days old.
When do they Fly =
A: First hop/flight to a close perch, around 54 to 58 days old. However oldest = 63.
What else to expect in Fledge?
A:First Day Roosting out of Box = 66 to 76 days old, depending on who is still in the box. And, it can be earlier.**
**For example, Ashley (Molly C1) at 58 days old missed the landing trying to fly back to the box from a perch. She went to the ground & and reappeared - flew back in! - the following night. Just a reminder that owlets can climb trees with their powerful claws and beaks if they find themselves on the ground. So have no fear and enjoy the show!
Belle could go out anytime, but surely within a day or two after Labor Day! She's the lead and the others will follow soon enough.
Thank you Cowliflower! Please visit Cowli's corner here: http://owltlaws.blogspot.com/p/cowliflowers-corner-fun-facts-and.html
Q: What is a Fling and Fly? Do the parents actually "fling" the treats into the box?
What is Fledge =
Answer: First time an owlet steps out of the box onto the porch. Typically 51 to 57 days old.
When do they Fly =
A: First hop/flight to a close perch, around 54 to 58 days old. However oldest = 63.
What else to expect in Fledge?
A:First Day Roosting out of Box = 66 to 76 days old, depending on who is still in the box. And, it can be earlier.**
**For example, Ashley (Molly C1) at 58 days old missed the landing trying to fly back to the box from a perch. She went to the ground & and reappeared - flew back in! - the following night. Just a reminder that owlets can climb trees with their powerful claws and beaks if they find themselves on the ground. So have no fear and enjoy the show!
Belle could go out anytime, but surely within a day or two after Labor Day! She's the lead and the others will follow soon enough.
Thank you Cowliflower! Please visit Cowli's corner here: http://owltlaws.blogspot.com/p/cowliflowers-corner-fun-facts-and.html
Q: What is a Fling and Fly? Do the parents actually "fling" the treats into the box?
A: We call the deliveries at this point Fling and Flies.. It is difficult to see which parent it is, and who gets the food at times, as it happens quickly ! Is it a Fling and Fly really, or a hand off? Notes from Coach30!
Q: What is "Branching" and when do Owlets start to leave the box?
(Carlos is our Host from The Owl Box, San Marcos, California..He led the way to everything we have now). Carlos is worth 3,000 miceunits and Infinity Love and admiration units in our hearts.
Q: Should we worry about less treats?
A: No. Its the size of the treat, not the numbers. One Gopher equals 10 mice units. One Rat equals 16 mice units. We have been seeing mostly gophers and rats.
Some fun facts about owlets:
A:Owlets will "branch" at 49 to 54 days in general. This consists of short flights, stomps, hops and skips from the box (Hideout) to the hitching post bars and nearby tree branches. They do practice flights for a few weeks before they go off with their parents to learn hunting. The parents will begin calling to them from outside the box to encourage them to come out. They might encourage them to come out with food and also cut back on food to help them slim down for flight.
Q: When do the parents start preparing for Fledge?
A: Roy and Dale will start "staging" now.. Roy tends to idle on the Hitching Post and The Lookout.. as he knows the time is coming to teach his owlets how to fly, hunt and survive. Dale tends to sit on the porch, and observe the pantry from afar, and the owlets. Both parents will do this more frequently in the upcoming weeks. We will also see both parents soar around the box taking short flights to "show by example". They may also linger on the roof or near the box.Q: Why are the parents dangling the treats from far away?
A: To encourage the owlets to leave the box
Q: The Owlets are closing in on 48 to 54 days. Why are the parents bringing less food?
A: Owlets need to slim down to prepare for flight. This normally happens anywhere from day 50 onward.
Q: Should we worry about less treats?
A: No. Its the size of the treat, not the numbers. One Gopher equals 10 mice units. One Rat equals 16 mice units. We have been seeing mostly gophers and rats.
Some fun facts about owlets:
"All the treats are actually "handed off" to the owlets. In all the chaos it looks like they're tossing them inside but Roy and Dale make sure that one of the owlets is taking it from their beak. Sometimes they reach into the box for the hand off (when the owlets are caught off guard) and sometimes the owlets grab it at the door as they wait near the opening."
Q:How do owlets change, develop from 8 weeks on: Answer from LacyRoze
General Observations from LacyRoze!;
Eight weeks old: a typical fledgling Barn Owl has already learned to pounce but struggles to fly,
nine weeks: it's flying fairly well,
Ten weeks: it starts perfecting the art of landing, accurate pouncing, flying and hovering in various wind conditions
Eleven weeks: many have made their first prey capture and some have already started to disperse.
Ten to fourteen weeks the amount of food each one receives from the adults goes from an average of four small mammals per night down to zero.
Q: Is there a Visitor Owl? Will it hurt the babies?
Many viewers are concerned about the Visitor Owl? Is it a Visitor, or a Parent?
Will it bring harm to the owlets? The answer is no. If the Visitor (if indeed it IS a Visitor, )were to be a threat, it would be chased away.
In the Bear and WIllow clutch, we had a "Nanny" owl. This owl was presumed to be the only surviving owlet from Willow's previous clutch. This "Nanny" owl even brought treats to the babies! Owls do live in a communal sense.. they allow other owls to caretake their young as we saw in Willow and Bear: http://www.willowyview.blogspot.com/
Q: When do the parents start preparing for Fledge?
A: Roy will start "staging" now.. Idling on the Hitching Post, The Lookout.. as he knows the time is coming to teach his owlets how to fly, hunt and survive. He will do this more frequently in the upcoming weeks. We will also see both parents soar around the box during peak fledge time (possibly mid september on) to show by example.
Q: Are they hungry? They look hungry..
General Observations from LacyRoze!;
Eight weeks old: a typical fledgling Barn Owl has already learned to pounce but struggles to fly,
nine weeks: it's flying fairly well,
Ten weeks: it starts perfecting the art of landing, accurate pouncing, flying and hovering in various wind conditions
Eleven weeks: many have made their first prey capture and some have already started to disperse.
Ten to fourteen weeks the amount of food each one receives from the adults goes from an average of four small mammals per night down to zero.
Q: Is there a Visitor Owl? Will it hurt the babies?
Many viewers are concerned about the Visitor Owl? Is it a Visitor, or a Parent?
Will it bring harm to the owlets? The answer is no. If the Visitor (if indeed it IS a Visitor, )were to be a threat, it would be chased away.
In the Bear and WIllow clutch, we had a "Nanny" owl. This owl was presumed to be the only surviving owlet from Willow's previous clutch. This "Nanny" owl even brought treats to the babies! Owls do live in a communal sense.. they allow other owls to caretake their young as we saw in Willow and Bear: http://www.willowyview.blogspot.com/
Q: When do the parents start preparing for Fledge?
A: Roy will start "staging" now.. Idling on the Hitching Post, The Lookout.. as he knows the time is coming to teach his owlets how to fly, hunt and survive. He will do this more frequently in the upcoming weeks. We will also see both parents soar around the box during peak fledge time (possibly mid september on) to show by example.
Q: Are they hungry? They look hungry..
Answer: Yes. Owlets are always hungry.. until they eat. Then they aren't hungry anymore. They may eat two treats before needing to "Hork" or cast a pellet, before they will eat again.
Q: Why are they calling? Are they hungry?
Answer: Yes and No. At least one owlet calls all the time, even after they are fed. As they get older, the call is incessant throughtout the night. Usually the youngest is the most vocal.
Q: Do Owlets share or fight over treats?
Answer: They do not share, intentionally. Owlets wait their turn. Owlets do not usually fight over food. They may hurt each other if they do. Sometimes a Shareabout happens unintentionally. We all rejoice when this happens. Owlet usually do NOT steal a treat. However, on August 28th pm, we did witness Belle Starr snatch a treat from Pearl Hart. We have witnessed Pearl take a treat since then, and Belle another one! A No Stealies Sign has been posted September 10th! Humpf!
Q: Why is Dale on such long flyabouts?
Answer: We believe she is a first time Mom. She spends longer times away from the box. When she does return, she takes care of the owlets. She is getting the owlets familiar to this behaviour. She will stay outside of the box all night when they can eat on their own.
Answer: We believe she is a first time Mom. She spends longer times away from the box. When she does return, she takes care of the owlets. She is getting the owlets familiar to this behaviour. She will stay outside of the box all night when they can eat on their own.
Q: Do other barn owls stay out this long?
Answer: Not that we have seen here on Ustream. We just get a glimpse into a small window of each Barn Owl Clutch via a Host's cam. We learn more about Barn Owls each time. We are learning new Barn Owl Mom behaviour in the Pioneer Gang clutch.
From LonestarStateTx(*)
Barn Owl Hearing
Q: Do barn owls have ears?
A: Yes they have ears, but not in the sense of an "external ear" like we humans or most animals do. The external ears are simply holes in the skull, located within the facial disc, under the feathers, on either side of the eyes. The ear opening (aperture) is approximately rectangular in shape (in barn owls) and has a flap of skin (operculum) covering it. Ear "tufts" on some owl species, that look like ears, are for "show" only and have nothing to do with hearing.
Q: What is unique about owl ears?
A: They are asymmetrical. The left ear is slightly higher than the right; also, the left ear points slightly downward and the right ear points slightly upward (in barn owls; this differs in different species).
Q: What purpose does the asymmetry in the ears serve?
A: It basically gives the owl the ability to hear in 3-D. It can tell in exactly which direction a sound is located, and if the owl is moving towards the sound, the exact distance of the sound, and if the sound is itself moving. There is also a highly specialized area of the brain to process these auditory inputs. In effect, the owl has a "neural map" in its head of exactly where a sound (often prey) is located.
Q: Do the facial disc feathers play a role in hearing?
A: Absolutely. The rounded facial disc gathers sound like a radar dish and funnels the sound directly into the ear openings. The owl can also change the shape of this disc depending on need. In barn owls, when relaxed it is more heart-shaped. When alert and active (for example when hunting), the disc is more rounded.
Q: Is head movement in owls related to sight or hearing?
A: Actually both. In relation to hearing, an owl can tell if a sound is coming from the left, right, above or below, or directly ahead. The owl will then move its head so that the sound is directly in front of it-- this is how it knows the exact direction of a sound.
Q: How good, in general, is an owls hearing?
A: Because of all the above special adaptations, an owls hearing is about the most sensitive and acute of any bird or animal. A barn owl can actually locate, home-in, and capture prey in total darkness, relying totally on its sense of hearing. This has been proven by research in Florida. An owl can hear and locate, and capture prey under several inches of solid snowpack. They can hear the movement and locate a mouse under the cover of grass etc up to 75 feet (23 meters) away. When closer, an owl can hear the heartbeat of the prey if it is totally still.
If you are interested in the history of other Barn Owl Clutches, and their unique behaviours, including Bonnie and Clyde, Bear and Willow and Lucy and Ricky, please see the archived blogs, linked at the bottom of this blog. Many weeks of logged activities and outstanding contributions by Site Hosts, MODS, mods, viewers, and even Owls.....
