The Never Ending Owl Mystery

[lovezebs]

Hello Owls and Owletts

This morning coming downstairs, I had a bit of a scare.
Looking Into the flight where the baby Owls live, I saw no baby Owls anywhere.

Doing a quick visual check of all the perches, all the plants, all the corners.... no baby Owls.
One adult Owl, happily flitting about and that's that.

Glancing Into all the nests, I was starting to get a little frantic, when suddenly a fuzzy baby Owl popped out of the Owl's nest (which I had been avoiding). It was followed by an adult Owl, and my eyes got big.

No, I said to myself, it can't be....... or can it ?

Grabbing my phone, I wedged my arm and shoulder way back into the flight, positoned it over the Owl nest, and snap ☆☆☆

This is what I saw when I checked the picture.........

[Sheather]

Is that one of the starfinch-fostered owl babies in the owl's nest with a baby star finch?

[lovezebs]

Sheather

That's one of the Star raised Owlings, with the tiny baby Owl, in the Owl's nest. They were both in there, with one of the adult Owls.

[Sheather]

Hm, that baby looks almost bald, like a star.

[lovezebs]

Sheather

Don't mess with me Dylan, lol.
Bad enough that Debbie and Padraic keep laughing at me that this might be a Star being raised by Owls . He's got fuzz.

Here's a better pict of him:

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Well I'll be darned..........I'm speechless

[lovezebs]

Babs



LOL

[Sally]

This is a mystery--I think your birds are trying to pull a fast one on you. Perhaps they just like to keep you guessing!

[Rox]

Hahahaha, they are definitely keeping you on your toes!

Great news that your Owls are rearing their own chick (if it is an owl chick, lol!)

[lovezebs]

Babs Sally Rox debbie276 Smurf Sheather

Seeing as Mr and Mrs Owl didn't incubate, hatch, or raise the first two Owl chicks, one would assume, that they would not recognize them as their own chicks

If they don't recognize them as their own, why on earth would they allow them anywhere near their nest and their one tiny chick? let alone right into the nest to all sleep together. AND, even if they do somehow recognize them as their own kids (from a previous clutch) is it normal for Owls, to allow older chicks into a new nest, with a new chick in it?

Now I don't know much about Owls, but I think this is very unusual behaviour for any species other than perhaps Societies.

Has anyone else come across this type of behaviour?

[Smurf]

At least you won't have to worry about the older chicks being imprinted by the star fosterers, they should learn owl habits from parents now. Maybe the young star chick will do similar

[debbie276]

I once read a study on zebra finch that basically said they use smell to identify other family members. Wonder if it also applies to owl.
Time for some research

[Smurf]

It might be an idea to add an extra spare nest box for use as an owl roosting box, once all chicks have fledged they often roost in a separate nest to where parents are starting next clutch.

[lovezebs]

Smurf debbie276

I AM AN OWL !!! Meeped the baby to the world.

Is there a smell on these Owl chicks (who were raised by Stars) that could somehow identify them to their birth parents (for lack of a better title)? I would love to find out more about it.

Regarding extra nests Padraic, there are all sorts of nests available (and yet these first two Star raised fledgling Owls, ended up in the Owl nest).

What's still more amazing, is that the Owl fledglings have not shown any inclination to beg from the birth parents, nor have the Owl parents attempted to feed these two fledges when they are begging (although they do come running, and then look somewhat confused, when they see the Stars feeding them).

[slwatson]

lovezebs

I think you just have a special touch when it comes to Owls....being able to take them out and snap pics without the parents abandoning them, and having Stars raise them, and now watching them be accepted into an Owl nest! You have the magic Owl touch