Recently I was privileged to watch an adult screech owl and three
fledglings as they became active at dusk, every evening for a total of five
nights in a row. I’d be very interested in hearing from anyone who has
experience with screech owls and their parental behavior.
In particular, I’d be interested to know if owls are known to “park” their
juveniles in a safe location, the way some primate mothers do. During four of
the five evenings I watched these owls, they were hidden in the same small
tree, which was beneath the canopy of an immense oak tree. The adult owl
seemed to be watching from the lower branches of the canopy, and I’d be
interested to know if this is typical behavior from adults and fledglings.
On the sixth night, and all subsequent nights to date, the tree was silent
and empty, and I’d also like to know if my presence (including red flashlight
and camera) had any impact on their departure. I’ve tried asking local birders
in my area about this, but this was a little too specialized for them. So, I’d
be very interested to hear from anyone who has experience with this behavior.
Thanks very much,
John A.
