Alice the Great Horned Owl is a permanently injured owl who works at the Houston Nature Center in Houston, MN and lives with her handler, Karla Bloem. Rusty and Iris are Great Horned Owls that are both blind in their right eyes and cannot live in the wild. Rusty and Iris are breeding in captivity as part of Karla's vocal study on Great Horned Owls. All together they have led to the creation of an International Owl Center in Houston, MN and an International Festival of Owls.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Teenager Hoots
This is another MOMENTOUS occasion: one of the owlets started doing big kid hoots this morning at 3:57 AM!
One of the things I'm working to document is the development of the territorial hoot in young owls. We recorded the tiny little peeping hoots they did when just over two weeks old. Those only seemed to last until four weeks or so, and then nothing has been heard since.
Yesterday we separated the juvenile owls from the adult owls. It was simply the time of year to do it, and the kids weren't roosting by their parents so much anymore. I figured the owlets wouldn't start hooting as long as Mom and Dad were around to defend their territory.
Last night Rhett and Delilah, the resident wild owls, were in the yard hooting for a few hours. After a couple of hours of hooting, one of the owlets flew to the V-perch and started hooting!! The hoots aren't as quiet and peepy as the nestling hoots...they're squeakier more like a rubber ducky trying to hoot. But a hoot it is, with proper hooting posture (throat pouch inflated, leaning forward, tail cocked up.)
Based on the video and the rhythm, I am suspecting it's one of the girls doing the hoot...maybe Pandora, the oldest?
I'll be anxious to hear when the others start hooting, what they sound like, and how long it takes to make a real adult-sounding hoot.
Woo-hoo!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
When are the baby owls released?
ReplyDeleteThey will be released after they graduate to adult hoots. Hopefully this fall yet!
DeleteWhat a hoot !!!!
ReplyDeleteHi karla that was Pandora hooting.Maybe Patrick will start soon too.That was awesome to see too. Critterwatcher
ReplyDeleteThat was so AWESOME!!:) I get to see them in "rehab" as "orphans" and with lots of clacking, puffing up and fleeting flying. Thank you so much for letting us share in this.
ReplyDeletegr8hornedowl
I like the way it starts to hoot just before and while it adopts the hooting position!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great "catch" Karla!... yup.. awesome hoots..they're growing up!
ReplyDelete