{"id":1126,"date":"2023-10-22T17:09:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T17:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wilde-diaries.org\/?p=1126"},"modified":"2023-10-22T17:09:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T17:09:15","slug":"the-owls-of-saxonwold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/2023\/10\/22\/the-owls-of-saxonwold\/","title":{"rendered":"The owls of Saxonwold."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the 1 May 2021,  Owl Rescue Centre  put an owl box up on the plot. It was situated approx. 6 m above the ground in the Eucalyptus trees. For months we watched and waited for the owls to move in, but unfortunately, the only residents were a pair of doves. They had their babies and vacated the box soon afterward, making us think it wasn\u2019t suitable for any discerning feathered friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Aug 2022, the following year, I was busy in the front yard when my workers told me that there were residents in the owl box. I couldn\u2019t see properly, and we unearthed a pair of dilapidated binoculars for a better view. Though focusing with one eye, I suddenly saw the triangular little ears peeking above the side of the box, and our joy was without bounds! We danced around the garden in elation, and from there, the owl watching started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We learned that the owls that inhabited our box are Spotted Eagle Owls, the smallest of the Eagle owl species. They usually lay 2 eggs, and it takes 30 days to incubate. Mom Owl sat in that box day in and day out, not leaving her eggs unattended, while Dad Owl did all the feeding. He brought her all kinds of tasty morsels at night. This being the time that they were most active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spotted Eagle Owls have a body length (without their tail feathers included) of 40-45 cm, and their wingspan is 30-35 cm in length. They have triangular ears, and the males have a lighter complexion than the females. They live on lizards, doves, mice, rats, frogs, moles, beetles, and moths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first owlet was noticed towards the end of Sept. A cute little fluffy face making his appearance on the balcony like the royalty he is. Giving us glimpses of his cuteness then hiding away behind mom. His very pale face gave away the fact that this was a little boy. I knew it wouldn\u2019t be long before this little guy made his way towards the ground, and I started panicking. We have a few resident geese that border on satanic as they kill everything that enters their realm, and their personal bath is situated right under the big tree. What if the baby fell in the bath and drowned? What about the electric fence and the dogs? I was going crazy, so I called poor Owl Rescue again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was assured that the parents would always be close, and t would be prudent to fence an area where the babies would be safe when they did touchdown. The mom would probably escort them to a much safer place if she felt that there was any danger. So, in my OCD state, I got hold of the orange construction netting that is used when there are roadworks on the roads and put a perimeter fence up in the garden. Not a day too soon, as that night on the 12 Oct 2022, the first baby touched down. He was one bundle of angry, hissing fluff, and we kept well away so they would not feel threatened. But what an experience, though\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baby no 2 was still stuck in the condo above the ground, and the poor parents had their work cut out. They were spending their time feeding two babies, one very adventurous on the ground and another not so much. We also had our hands full. The geese\u2019s bath was covered, and they were relocated to the backyard. They complained bitterly, and their attacks on us, the dogs, the cats, the donkeys, the horses, and everything that moved became more ferocious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baby owls plummet from the nest at about 5 weeks, spend a few weeks on the floor until they are strong enough to fly. They start small flying lessons at about 7 weeks, and the parents keep feeding them for another 5 weeks thereafter. The first few days of living on the ground, their heads hang as their neck muscles are not strong enough to hold their heads up. I only learned this because of another 911 call to Owl Rescue\u2026 I was fast becoming an owl specialist cum whisperer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much to my concern, our little grounded baby was nowhere to be found a few days after his initial launch. We looked everywhere, even looked for evidence of him being eaten, but no such luck. The dogs at the stables were given a very stern talking to, but they were all taking the 5th and pleading innocence. Hmmm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our vigilance turned to the remaining baby stuck in the nest. This little one had a darker face, and we knew it is a little girl. She had many failures trying to launch and would tether on the side of the owl house just to slink away to the back disappointed in herself. I named the owlets after my children, Keagen & Briony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keagen, my son, had just flown the nest as well and he is as bold and adventurous as the first little owl was. Briony, my daughter, is a little more cautious and was still hovering on the ledge. How appropriate is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was walking my dogs at the bottom of the property late afternoon when I saw Keagen sitting on a tree stump. His owl mom had navigated him there as she felt it was the best place to raise her fledglings. I kept wondering how she got him there. It was no coincidence as 2 weeks later Briony launched, and we found her with her brother. All my faffing and panicking was for nothing as both owl children were safe in a very secluded area, with only myself and the neighbors to ooh and aahhhhh over them. The ugly orange netting came down, and the geese got their bath back. Peace was restored\u2026 sort of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the owlets progression from baby to maturity we had a few ‘incidents.’ One morning my next door neighbour on the other side called me and said:’ There is an owl in my garden and my dogs want to eat it.” Max Verstappen had nothing on me that day. I drove to the plot in record time, got a hatbox and a pair of gloves hoping and praying I wouldn’t be too late. The youngster was caught by a rather perturbed Lennie who had just come to terms with the fact that owls are friends not witchery as believed I African culture. Bless him, in no time the little owl was caught and transported back to the safety go the big old tree. This happened quite a few times and by the end I was ready to give flying lessons to the children myself just to get them off the ground. It was a reward being so close to them when I had to transport them back to their waiting Mama as I could get a good look at them whilst they were in the cat box. Their hissing and clucking sounds didn’t have the same effect on me in the end. I just paid them no heed but they did get the talk about stranger danger everytime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the end of October, and I had spent many wonderful hours working on my owl linguistics. I think I needed more work because the owls would just look at me in disdain and turn their heads away. I didn\u2019t care and kept trying. What an honor and a privilege it was to have made this journey with them. The owlets quickly became adults, and pretty soon I couldn’t discern between the parents and the babies. They were all beautifully mature and very vocal. They hung around until one day they were gone. It saddened me, but I knew they would be back with the next breeding season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was looking forward to being part of their life cycle. Within a year, there would be another breeding season, and we would be welcoming the addition of furry owlets into our family. For their safety and convenience, I knew it would be best to relocate the box to the bottom of the property. I had every intention of doing so and adding another box when nature intervened. Mother Owl had settled in the box sooner than anticipated, and a huge bloody wind came, dislodged the owl house, throwing my plans into disarray. Mom found herself dangling a meter from the ground, and she looked very put out. I immediately called Owl Rescue, and they advised me to move the house as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For operation Move Owl House, I had to employ the skill set of two tree fellers that worked locally. That, and the extra-long ladder that I had recently purchased. My nerves were finished. On the day of the move, I became so bad that Lennie, my groom, said: “Mother, just go home. We will let you know when the houses are up; you are going to make somebody fall.” I must admit I was relieved to have an excuse to leave. It took us two days of trying, and finally, the houses were up, and the tree people left with no broken bones. Thanks God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite all our efforts, the houses remain empty this year. The owls have decided that there is just too much activity going on. It’s ok. I am sure next year will deliver us good fortune in the form of baby owls. For now, the houses have once again been annexed by squatter doves. C’est la Vie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not the end though, I know there will be many more stories about the Owls of Saxonwold in years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be continued…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the 1 May 2021,  Owl Rescue Centre  put an owl box up on the plot. It was situated approx. 6 m above the ground in the Eucalyptus trees. For months we watched and waited for the owls to move in, but unfortunately, the only residents were a pair of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yesterdays"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildediaries.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}