Between the American Kestrel nest boxes that I monitor in Marion and Levy Counties (for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Dr. Karl Miller), three boxes are occupied by nesting Eastern Screech-Owls! Â Two families have hatched 2 eggs, and one has hatched three. Â I don’t have any photos of when these owls were recently hatched, but check out this post, “Whats in the Box? Part Two” to take a look at the adults on their eggs.
From earlier box checks, I knew that the owl family I wanted to check on should have 2 babies at about 19 to 20 days old. This was just my best guess from observing chicks that I thought were about 2-3 days old a few weeks ago (if anyone thinks they are a different age, let me know!). Â As soon as I pulled up to the box, which is mounted on a huge pine tree, an adult had it’s head sticking out. Â From every angle, you could tell that this owl was not happy about my visit.
Eastern Screech-Owl adult at nest box
This owl is a brown type adult, but not a very vivid brown. I believe its mate has been in the box on occasion, and is more of a gray type adult. Â As I opened the box, I was happy to see the 2 chicks had survived and were now almost adult-sized! Both were sleeping face down in the box.
Eastern Screech-Owl chicks in nest box
To get a better idea of their age, I sat them up, while the adult sat patiently (or not-so patiently) nearby, with a few bill claps. These are the first baby screech-owls I have seen up close; their eyes were lined with pink skin that made them look more like hung-over people than owls, and they had lost the chick fluff around their eyes, giving them a masked appearance.
Eastern Screech-Owl chicks- about 19 to 20 days old (Rough night?)
Their feathers were mostly all developed, especially their primaries, and like baby kestrels at this age, they were still covered with a fair amount of fluffy chick feathers. And of course, feather tufts were visible on their heads, which will later help them blend in more with their surroundings. Â Over the next week, I will check on the two other boxes of owls, and hopefully find at least one red type chick in one of the boxes!
Eastern Screech-Owl chick – about 19 to 20 days old
Left wing of young screech owl; it looks like both of these chicks will be the same color as the adult present in the box.