I interrupt today's regularly scheduled post for this emergency post about nocturnal additions. The biggest owl surprise of all.
On Monday morning, Canada Day, I looked out my kitchen window directly, alarmingly, into the eyes of something you should never look right in the eyes; a Beanie Baby.
And there we stood, frozen. I on one side of the window glass, they on the other. Stunned owl, meet stunned Karen.
We're probably all thinking the same thing - that a Baby Owl is obviously going to be named Bowel, but I'm not naming this one anything. At least not yet.
This is an excitement post not an excellence post. Bad photos, 1 good video, a bad video and some less-than top shelf quality photos. But a bad video of an owlet is more entertaining than a good photo of a colonoscopy. That was a Bowel joke.
Oh god, no, I cannot name this little puffball Bowel. Yet there it is - in my head as its name.
There was one point I was worried the baby, which was not very baby-sized, probably on par with a second season Full House Olsen twin, was assessing whether my nose was a mouse.
It occurred when I took a quick video from the backyard.
I mean honestly. Just watch it looking up at the parent as if to ask I don't know what to think. If you ask me anything it looks like a mouse.
I assume his (her?) parent brought him (her?) to my backyard after a long discussion about how the woman, the dog and the electric wood splitter are nothing to lose any feathers over.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
I'm back on owl watch which means I'm going to need a couple of hours to build my own nest outside. I'll need snacks, comfy pillows, a couple of cameras, blankets and a helmet. All your basic summertime gear.
Midway through the day the baby disappeared. I have no idea if it made its way into the bottom of the owl box or had run away from home for a few hours.
By 9:00 p.m. the baby was back and the parent was gone. Baby owl spent the next 15 minutes hopping from branches to the owl box, figuring out how to turn around and keep its wings from getting trapped in the box.
It hopped from branch to branch, to another tree in my yard to the roof of my potting shed. All its movements are just a little bit shy of elegant.
Based on my calculations using the age Eastern Screech owls learn to fly divided by the cost of a Beanie Baby I'd say this owlet is probably somewhere around 9-10 weeks old.
Since that night I haven't seen the baby again, but the parent, who may or may not be Mr. Snacks has been here every day. The red owl disappeared the day after I posted about their reappearance (as is often the case when I post about owls so don't expect to ever see Bowel again).
I'll keep you updated from my nest.
GinaG
I mean, technically, the spelling should be Bowl. But you can pronounce it bowel. Kinda like the parents who name their daughter Mary but spell it Meighreeee.
Congratulations on the new addition to the Karen-Snacks family. <3
Lisa Herzberger
Oh! Stupid kindle!! That was SUPPOSED To be DIVE BOMBED by a crow..not dive year bombed!!!🤔 I've really got to start proof reading my stuff!😖
Jen
thank you!
(lol bowel ♥️)
Michele
Oh my god Karen! So cute!!!!!!!
Karen
I know!! WAIT until you see the next video. ~ karen
Lisa Herzberger
KAREN!! CONGRATS!! Your resident owls are AWESOME👍
We live in the woods on a lake and also have many birds but I've only seen one owl!
Our daughter got dive-year bombed by a nesting crow..it hit her in the back of the head..(I'd have nightmares for weeks😲 since I have a flapping wings phobia!) I'm guessing that was the need of a helmet?😅
Thanks for your posts!
Peggy
The video and pictures are stunning! 🤩
Jan in Waterdown
Personally, I think prior to naming, they should get to pick their own pronouns first. Then take your cue from that?
Linda
OMG!!! That is so exciting Karen! That baby has the most expressive face ever. I am so looking forward to updates. You lucky lucky thing!!
Lin
Not Bowel. Bowl, Weebowl
You are one lucky lady to have the nest close and that there was a successful hatch. Woohoo you!
Jackie
Oh how cute. I had given up on them. I can't believe he/she got this big before you saw him. I hope to see more photos/videos of him. We had some small birds/maybe wrens build a nest in my Boston Fern this year. It hangs on the front porch just to the left of the front door. My husband kept an eye on them & decided a few weeks age that the eggs probably weren't going to hatch. Surprise - today we saw that there are baby birds in the nest. They look like little fuzz balls. We have been careful not to disturb them too much, while trying to keep the fern alive. We mainly use our garage to come & go & have been using it even more lately. It's a little hard to avoid them because I have other flowers/plants on the porch to water but we are doing our best to be good grandparents.
Helen
A lovely uplifting post!
Kathy Johnson
I literally gasped when I saw the headline of your post! So exciting. I hope all goes well in the continuing Education of Baby (B)ow(e)l ;)
Kathy
What a beautiful thing to see! I love the photos and the videos. Thank you so much for sharing this experience with us.
Vikki
Congratulations! (He/she looks like a Muppet.)
David Sargant
Wow! That's way more exciting and better news than anything I've seen lately on TV.
Dee M.
I use caution with your movements now you know there is an owlet...granted parents felt good enough to nest there and hatch an egg but from personal experience even small changes in the environment they have become accustomed to while hiding in the box can cause they to move on sooner. Owlet needs those trees and cover to learn and become confident. And they do not like anything that seems to pay attention to them. I would avoid direct eye contact, this from personal experience. That can be a threat to them. So happy to see this sweet surprise.
Jackie
Beautiful!
Linda in Illinois
Yeah !!! hooray !! i knew it... a baby owl!! I'm so in love with this..
Elaine
this is so very cool. Quite unusual to have babies the first season the box is up. They must have attracted by the potential media attention. I love how he looks just a bit mad with those piercing eyes. I do like the name Simon Cowel better.
Gretchen
Amazing! Fun! Funny! Name cracks me up. And what a mystery: here-gone-no, wait-here-nope, gone--Thanks for this great post!
Holly
I love these posts! I'm now the proud owner of a screech owl house as a result :) Long live Bowel!
Gerhart
Owl name: Simon Cowl (Cowell)… 😂