Great Horned Owlets

This is a nest that I have been keeping up with at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. The owlet in the photo is one of 2 that hatched about a month ago. It is believed that one of the adult owls was killed by a vehicle. This caused concern for the fate of the owlets with only one parent to care for them. It is fortunate that the owl was killed after and not before the owlets hatched because the male brings food to the female while she is incubating. The owlets now have sufficent feathers to withstand the elements while the parent is out hunting for food. I did not observe the adult bird but the owlets were eating something which was apparently larger than a mouse or rat due to the size of the pieces of meat they were swallowing. Both owlets appeared to be in good health and were consuming their prey with gusto. The owlets will start to venture from their nests when they are 6 to 8 weeks old. The young fledge at about 10 weeks.