Ned and Nellie are a pair of barred owls that have lived in the Myers Park neighborhood of Charlotte, NC. since 2009. I chronicle their escapades to raise awareness of these beautiful raptors.
It is 10:27 pm and Nellie hoots softly for Ned the third. You can tell it is Nellie (a female) because she has a trill at the end of her “who cooks for you-you-you-you-you. It is such a beautiful sound that I am awe struck again. She doesn’t get a response so she hoots a little louder. Ned flies in, does a quick monkey hoot and I am not privy to what happens next. January and February are the prime mating times. It is Ned’s job to dine Nellie with varmint cuisine and if she is pleased, well let’s just say that Ned gets his dessert and cigarette.
This is Nellie shaking her head wondering if she should count on Ned for all her meals or just feed herself once in awhile and relax a little. After all, she’ll be sitting in a tree hollow for 6 weeks incubating her eggs.
The Raptor Center wanted our help in rehoming a baby owl since Nellie is the perfect mother. WE enlisted the help of a drone pilot to see if Nellie was active in the nest and how many babies. David Bulfin got this fabulous shot using his drone. Nellie is on husband #3 and this one is very protective of her to the point of not feeding the babies when we are looking from the sidewalk so that's why we're not sharing the nest site. More soon!
Nellie has been very stealth this season. In early December we would hear her trilling hoot, but she rarely got a response. Then later in the season, some fine fellow decided that three was his lucky number and the frantic antics began. In March and April after two owlets hatched, the hoots were back and forth essentially saying, "I got them food the last time. It's your turn to eviscerate something. " "I've got a pellet stuck in my craw. Until I heave it up, I'm too heavy to fly."
I have been gone a lot this spring and I never found where the nest was this year. A few days ago, I heard two babies crying for food at Edgehill Park. I have since seen both Nellie and her new hubby. Last night the two babies were frolicking in the middle of Moravian Lane. They were practicing how to fly and it was quite evident that they needed more practice. One would flap-hop to a near by branch and the other would follow. This went on for about 20 minutes. Then a crescendo of screams as they realize mom has come with a tasty treat. She gives it to one owlet who flies off with no intention of sharing. The other baby follows but is too late-the food is already down the hatch. He gives his sibling the middle talon and screams to mom to bring a vole for him.
Take a walk at dusk and listen for the baby cries or for the alarm cries of other songbirds. Edgehill is the most likely place but I have also seen them at the Duke Mansion, on Moravian, and in our back yard.
Here's an example of the babies just hanging out, crying for attention, imitating Stevie Wonder, and almost falling off the pole. Just takes one time to learn that a slick pole is no match for the texture of bark.
It is not easy being a juvenile owl. It is much like a teenager who has outgrown his pants overnight and now has to go on a field trip with high waters. Their wings are huge as are their talons but learning how to fly is challenging. That's why Edgehhill park is perfect for Nellie and her new mate (who needs a name by the way). There is a vast canopy of branches where they can take short flights then move on to longer distances. One of the things that these babies have been slow to learn is that thicker branches hold more weight. Often they will fly onto a branch which sways under the weight so they end up upside down and mortified. These are two siblings that like to show off for each other. They have the flying part down pretty good by now. At this point it is time to learn how to hunt.
Imagine the acute timing it takes to spot prey, focus, realize it can be had, lift off, stare at prey hoping it doesn't move, time the landing so that your wings back up, talons raise to snare the prey, then you have to upright yourself and lift off. And that is if they prey doesn't move. Remember that owls fly silently so what's on the ground never hears them coming although a large shadow might be an indication. Below is a one minute slow motion video of an eagle owl (the largest in the world) landing and note he is just landing, not hunting. Clearly, a work of art and awe.
So our little owlets, need to learn how to pounce on prey in anticipation of grabbing them from the air. Above is a grey owl very diligently practicing his pounce maneuver.
Last night was remarkable. The entire family was out. First we watched the babies fly around the branches acting real cool. "I got this down." Then they went to the ground and were aimlessly pouncing hoping they might accidentally catch something. Then Mom called from a distance so they fly up to a tree and started begging. She came in a few seconds but only fed one (as is typically the custom). The other one had a hissy fit and flew right above my head and stayed there and stared. "Hey, Owl Lady. Can you bag a chipmunk for me?" The other one finished and also flew above my head.
Just a little photoshop...The last thing that happened was that Dad called from the other end of Edgehill. They immediately started flying. They met in the middle and Dad had a big enough meal that they both could eat. It looked to be a snake. We watched for about 5 minutes in amazement that this was happening before our eyes.
There is a thing in Japan called Shinrin yoku which means "forest bathing." It is essentially the practice of submerging yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the woods. You might try it tonight and for the next several nights at Edgehill. You'll find that the catbird is the last and loudest to go to bed. The cardinal is most likely to sound the alert mode that a predator is near. A mockingbird will have the guts to go after an owl while the crows gather courage among a crowd (actually a murder of crows). Hopefully, the show will start at 8:00 again. Go take a bath.
I am soooo excited that I had to change my underwear. Laura Gaines spotted Nellie and new boyfriend and one baby at the Duke Mansion driveway last night and tonight we saw two babies and possibly a third. Wheeee! We watched them fly short distances from branch to branch. They are doing the head bob thing where they have to bob their heads to focus since their eyes are not developed yet. We heard mom call from the opposite end of the park and they came right to her. It really is remarkable that we have this kind of nature show in our backyard.
So, for locals, they will likely be hanging out at Edgehill Park again. I will put some bird seed out along the creek to attract varmints. Feel free to do likewise.
Below is a video of them. I did it in thermal since it was too dark to see them.
And what about Ned? It has been exactly a year since Ned was injured. This is his busy time as the baby barreds are out of the nest and sometimes they fall and go boom. A typical week brings over 30 injured raptors and they are able to rehome about 90% of them. Check out http://crc-rehab-blog.tumblr.com./ to see the work the rehab center does. Ned plays a vital role in teaching these babies how to be owls while they are orphans. Ned is quite an experienced dad.
This explained what a surrogate owl does. Both mom and dad feed the owl.
Luna and Noche are a barred owl pair that live in New York. They have some excellent video of them feeding their babies and of the babies fledging and missing the mark. One is rather clumsy.
This adorable video was taken at the Carolina Raptor Rehab Center. The grounds crew at Carolina Golf Club called me to say that a baby owl had fallen out of a tree and would I help. Definitely.
By the time I got out there, Groucho (so named because of his eyebrows) had wandered to the woods to escape some overhead hawks. Baby owls that can't fly yet are very vulnerable on the ground. I put a towel over Groucho, handled him carefully with gloves in case he was injured, and took him to the Raptor Center.
When owls are threatened, they puff up to make themselves bigger. It's very effective. Keep in mind this baby is only 4 weeks old. Look at his talons.
He was deemd fit so we took him back to the golf course in a makeshift nest for mom and dad to find him and give him a scolding.
I have delayed this post long enough. Despite epic efforts in rehabilitation and enticing live mice meals, the Raptor Center has decided that Ned is "...not releasable but he has a proven track record as a parent so we will keep him as a surrogate."
Some of the RaptorMed documentation includes: On ground and refuses to fly. Could only get to fly once and then started to defend on the ground. Right leg severely droops when flying. Only got him to fly 2x. He went to the ground and did not recover. Grabbed and tossed twice but always returned to the ground. Could only get him to fly to the other side and landed on the ground. He was defending self and was stressed. Upon x-ray-fracture is very stable. Range of motion is good. Fracture is completely healed.
I spoke to Rob last night who went to see Ned. He is clueless as well. We can speculate like news talking heads that a)Ned is just lazy and prefers the easy life b) there is something we are missing or c) he is just old and sore. Owls have been known to do strange things. Two years ago, we were feeding Ned a live mouse every Sunday night and then, he just quite coming. Who refuses a free, tasty, easy meal? The male choses the nesting site (and once they move in, they come back every year) and Ned and Nellie seemed very happy in our luxurious nesting box but the next year, they chose a different place and last year, another place.
The good news in all of this is that the Raptor Center is going to keep Ned as a baby daddy. He has fathered at least 20 owlets that we know of and although he is not terribly efficient-Nellie and Ned fed their babies an equal amount of prey but Nellie would find something in 15 minutes whereas Ned might take over an hour-he is a proud daddy and very vocal. An owlet that is injured needs to have an adult around to show them how to be an owl. In addition, we have been able to raise almost $3000 for his care and he and Nellie are featured on the owl forest trail at the Raptor Center so notoriety is worth something.
The other sad news to report is that one of the Ned and Nellie's babies was hit by a car and killed instantly. This happened on Queens Road at the Lutheran Church. Elizabeth Rostan was kind enough to call me so I went over and got the baby off the road. It is such a sad job. When you see them up close you realize what majestic birds they are. Their feathers are works of art. Their talons are sharp vises that catch and kill on contact. We are their only predators. They have tunnel vision when they going after prey and never see the car coming.
December starts courting season so Nellie will be returning hoots to who she considers eligible men. She is an experienced mom and wife so will chose wisely. There are several males in the neighborhood and beyond. My hope is that a new male will find our nesting box and chose it for their home.
Thank you for your interest and donations. Please sign up for the Raptor Center emails. There are many activities scheduled for the rest of the year that will interest many of you.
Ned is not doing as well as expected. His range of motion is good and the fracture has healed but there is a bony spike on his underwing that may need to be removed. It's also possible that Ned is older than we think and it's also possible that Ned is just being his lazy old self. The pin was in for a long time and given the soreness that can come from being perch-bound can make for a challenging recovery. Additionally, he hasn't had to hunt for food which is likely a pretty sweet deal so he may not want to give up the all you can eat rodent buffet.
Again, much gratitude for those who have donated (or just smiled at the story). The Raptor Center will be in touch with you soon and I will also be in touch with a token of my appreciation.
One of the many things that go on behind the scenes at the raptor center is rehabilitation. Most of these babies fell and went boom. They are hanging with Ned who is teaching them owl things like hooting and clucking and puffing up when self-esteem is low. he is an experienced father and they look up to him. As of Wednesday, he has not attempted to fly but there is plenty of time. Live mice are scurrying around to tempt him plus he may be sore.
You can also visit my YouTube channel for owl videos. Www.youtube.com/user/marsha1208
If you would like to be on the Hooter list to hear updates on Ned and Nellie or owls in general, send me an email through this blog or directly to marshagaspari53@gmail.com
Ned is on the left, a baby in the middle and another adult on the right. When you see the parliament of owls, it's easy to see the differences.
For the last 4 nights, our owl family starts their evening ritual behind the tennis courts at edgehill park. A male makes his call several times but Nellie ain't got time for that since she is feeding babies. Hope for Ned. Mom hops around on the ground, finds food, then feeds the babies. They spend their time flying from branch to branch each trying to outdo the other. Then they try to hunt following mom's lead. It is simply adorable. I assume and hope they will be there tonight. I'll be there with flashlight and hooter (that would be a calling device) and beverage. Feel free to join in. Barred owls are so called because their feathers have bars across them. Ornithologists are not terribly creative.
Buckle up! It's going to be a long bumpy ride...
Ned Update I went to see Ned Friday. Ned has been in the hospital for 20 days so far. His break was severe and by the time it heals and he finishes rehab we hope to have him back here by August. You can check on his progress by going to this link Ned is #18749
Ned came in at 667 grams so has gained 76 grams. Wrapping them and making it dark comforts them.
This is where Ned hangs out. Next to him are the 3 orphans that he is Baby Daddy to
This is drunk Ned. They have to put him to sleep to get x-rays, clean the wound, and do physical therapy.
HIs pin. NOLO means no leftovers ROM range of motion BAR bright, alert, reactive
So far, his hospital care comes to $1609. Obama is not paying for this. So far, Terry Loeb, Holley Hamilton, J'Nell Bryson, Ann Tompkins, and me have contributed.If you enjoy reading about Ned and Nellie, please support the raptor center and when you give, say that it goes to Ned.
Ned is helping the Raptor Center by being a baby daddy to 3 baby owls who fell out of trees and went boom and broke appendages. How cool is that?! Ned is talking to them and they are hearing his wise words. The only good vole is a dead vole. Crows and blackbirds are asshats. Never eat poisoned prey. Outlaw Owls Once the babies are self-sufficient (around July), they are supposed to go find their own territory. Over the last year, we have often seen and heard 3-4 owls. I call them the marauding or Outlaw owls. This band showed up Wednesday night and we had 6 owls in our front yard. It was delightful. The babies were just flying around saying "look at me!" while Nellie was keeping an eye on them while making sure the outlaw owls kept their distance. FAQ: Will Ned be released back to us? Yes, he will. We will do a neighborhood party to welcome him back. Will Nellie take him back? We hope so. Owls mate for life but when one is "gone" they get replaced rather quickly. Dr. Rob said he has seen it happen in 3 weeks and he has seen it happen while the male was still alive (though owl divorce is rare). Ned has been here since at least 2009, so he will likely come claim his territory with a vengeance. And since Nellie is a single mom raising twins, most male owls would pass her by as she is not in the mood to be carrying on with mouths to feed and crows to fend off. What about those crows? They are assholes. With both parents, one searches for food while the other looks after the babies. With only mom, crows and black birds get off on pestering Nellie. They do it because owls are predators and will go after their babies. One watcher told me that the crows got after one of the babies while she was on the ground trying to hunt and mom had to rush in. It is no surprise that a group of crows is called a murder of crows while a group of owls is called a parliament of owls. Can they hunt for themselves? No. They are still getting the flying thing down. They are able to hunt on the ground but it makes them vulnerable so Nellie gets food and takes it to them when they are in the trees. I am not allowed to give them mice more than once a week for fear they will get conditioned to free food and not hunt. I have however, thrown out a bunch of sunflower chips along Edgehill Park that hopefully will attract mice and birds for Nellie to grab. How do I find them? The last 3 nights they have been at Edgehill and like in years past, they will likely stay there at least 2 more weeks. It is the perfect hunting ground with the creek and plenty of space to swoop. Listen for their cries which sound like screeches (they do that because they are hungry and to let other birds know this is their territory) and listen for the crows, blackbirds, and cardinals pitching a fit. Dusk and dawn are best but they can be out during the day because there is only one parent finding food. What's with the head bob thing? Owls see in 3-D and because they have young eyes that are too big for the socket, they have to move their heads to see much like Stevie Wonder. click here to see owl head bob If you hold your arm straight out and put your index finger up then close one eye then the other, you see a different perspective. That is what the head move is about.
That's all for now. Drive slow around Edgehill. My cell is 704-451-2406. Feel free to call or text if you see something I should know about.
Little background---In 2009, Rob Bierregaard (professor who did barred owl research at UNCC) named our neighborhood barred owl pair Ned (went with Nellie) and Nellie (she was nervous). In 2011, he captured Ned, took him to our kitchen, banded him and put on a transmitter to keep track of his whereabouts. click on this link to see those photos.
Every Sunday night, we would whistle for Ned and have a mouse on a platform that he would grab. After about 6 months, Ned stopped coming around. Our neighbor Walker and I would take the antenna and try to find Ned but got nothing. That meant that either Ned had been hit by a car or that the battery was dead. We were sad. In the owl world, if one mate dies, he/she is quickly replaced.
Four years later...Monday, Jennifer King who lives on Edgehill, calls me to say there is an owl in her back yard not moving.
I see that he is banded and hurt. He is not moving. Flies are crawling on him. I see no respiration. I step towards him and he acts startled. I call the raptor center and they said bring him in. I forget that I am trained to transport owls. I get my gloves,put a towel over his head to calm him and put him in a box. I text Rob the band number and he says it's Ned!!! At the raptor center, they evaluate him by first giving him pain medication, then x-rays, then develop a plan. See their tumblr blog at May 11.
He has a bad shoulder break and an eye injury likely caused by a car or hitting a brick wall while hunting and being chased by a dog. He had surgery today and did well. below is a link where you can follow his progress and donate to his care. The Raptor Center does amazing work.
I check on the owls most every night. Last night I saw two babies when we only thought there was one. So now mom is a single mom raising twins. For locals, they are still at Granville and Hermitage. Tonight they were at the Cutter house. Some new friends brought a bird that had fallen out of the nest that was not going to recover. They left it on the ground for Nellie and she took it! I know but it is the circle of life. [Note that owls see movement. They won't eat any roadkill because they can't see it so don't be throwing dead animals in people's yards.]
One owlet is 2 days old and the other is 5 days. Those sounds!!! This is the guy you want to follow. He has an elaborate set up and is about a month ahead of us. Two nights ago we heard 4 owls on the middle of Moravian. I went outside with my flashlight and was able to see them go down to Hermitage. I still have hope that someone will nest in the box in the event that Nellie is gone. We obviously have 2 competing pairs. As I type this, I hear one in the back yard. Love it.
Many of you will remember Alessondra the great horned owl who nests on a balcony on some high rise in the midwest. The family who lives there is home schooled and the dad is some electronic wizard. Perfect. It looks like triplets again. It can sometimes be a little graphic...
Mom is hooting at Dad to bring some scrumptious squirrels.
For the next two months, you should be hearing a lot of hooting and cajoling from the owls. This is the courting season. The mister finds a home but the missus has to approve. As part of this courting ritual, the male feeds the female in an attempt to validate himself as a worthy suitor. Since owls mate for life, she already knows what is in store for her, but at least they make the effort to keep the romance alive. Human males should take note...
There is a guy who lives in Florida who is onviously retired. They are about a month ahead of us and he has the most elaborate camera system I have ever seen. Academics should be jealous. Below is the list of his many sites and this one came from YouTube under the name Paul Yorke. His facebook page is OwlWatch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZj8kM2pDF4
This is a six minute video which is 5 minutes too long for most but it does give you a feel for how human-like barred owls (the most social of the owls) are. She "tries" on her nest site, adjusts the twigs and leaves, and snuggles in various positions trying to make sure that this nest is just right ala three little pig style. She will be a good mom.
The owls are always around and the juveniles are still here as we hear their hooting and it is incomplete as in "who cooks for..."
We still hear the territory fights and I am not sure if I can ever leave this house without taking the owls with me...
Late December through February starts the mating season where the male feeds the female and gets rewarded for his efforts. It is the male that does the house hunting and then the Mrs. has to approve. Since our owls have not used the box in 2 years, we are considering moving it to the back yard to see if that will entice them. If we do that, then I will start feeding them mice again to further convince them that this box is the place to be.
For those of you in the 'hood, we see and hear the owls but do not know where the nest is. They should be very active at this point as they should have babies to feed so they are doing the 24/7 thing. The best way to find them now is to listen for the cry of the owlets which sound like squirrels crying as in a high pitched, insolent "waaaah." If any of you locals see or hear the babies, please let me know as I am curious to know where the heck they are and why they have forsaken me. Asses.
Not be dismayed, here is the link to the Cornell site which has barred owl triplets who are adorable.
For those of you in the neighborhood, I'm sure you have heard a whole lot of hooting going on. From December through early February, it is courting season. It is the male's job to find food and feed the female proving that he is a worthy suitor and good husband material. The hooting is usually indicative of "I'm here, where are you, you old fool. Bring me some dinner." There have been three different times when we have heard and seen two pairs of owls so it will be fun to see how that pans out since owls are territorial. We are hopeful that one of the pair will use the nesting box. We have kept the squirrels out which is sometimes a daily job. Squirrels are very slow learners.
If it doesn't work out with us, there is a guy in Florida who has an incredible three camera set up and he is posting. On Facebook, he is under "OwlWatch." He will post there the more exciting things that happen.His webcam is at http://owlguyz.blogspot.com/. He rotates between inside and outside views. It is very cool and I am very jealous. She is sitting on the nest now (Florida does things earlier). His YouTube Channel is Paul Yorke and lastly his blog is excellent with a lot of detail. http://owlguyy.blogspot.com/
Another very interesting webcam I found is at http://www.ustream.tv/okcowlcam. This is a great horned owl sitting on 3 eggs. She has used a planter on the balcony of a high rise condominium. Crazy. The planter is a little small for her so often her wing is outside the box. This will be quite a show when the owlets are born.
We will keep hoping and keep mice handy in order to feed the owls to encourage them to house with us.
The last 3 nights around midnight you may have heard
the owl hootenanny going on at our house. It has been a cacophony of
monkey hoots and back and forth "who cooks for you." Barred owls are
the most social of all the owls and when they communicate, it is usually
just to say "I'm here, where are you" or when they are courting you can
add "and when you are bringing my dinner? I need to be wooed. This
stuff ain't free." But lately, this has been territory hooting because
we have 2 pairs of owls who don't like it when the other invades each
other's space. They really just fly around from branch to branch
hooting at each other and giving each other the stink owl eye. I love
living here so be able to witness this. Here are two awesome videos of
the sounds and what the owls look like when they hoot.
