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Editor’s note: Postmedia visual journalist Brent Calver has been following the progress of four fledgling Great Horned Owls at a Calgary park. These images were taken at a respectful distance to avoid disturbing the birds. Their exact location isn’t being disclosed to allow the owl chicks to develop with minimal disruption from curious humans.
In the first week of May, four fuzzy heads peered out of their nest above a Calgary park.
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The Great Horned Owl chicks were only just starting to look out at a whole new world, clearly stir crazy in their nest.
The parents took up watch on trees across a clearing, 50 metres away, and from there they watched as the kids began to test their luck — and wings — on the branches adjacent to the nest.
A week later, three of the fledgling owls took flight with varying levels of grace as they expanded their range to neighbouring trees.
Going into the third week of May, one of the young owls remained, just beginning to venture out on a limb as its siblings had done the week prior.
The other juveniles fly tree to tree nearby, occasionally landing back at the nest, as if to encourage their little sibling.
After some squawking directed at daddy owl, he turns outward, letting out a distinct and audible hooting and shortly after, Mom returns with dinner.
She lands on a poplar nearby, and the three mobile juveniles are made to wait their turn as she breaks off pieces and feeds them.
The youngest is clearly only days away from taking flight with the family, and the kids are starting to show their titular horns, while their plumage is still significantly lighter than that of their parents’.
Young Great Horned Owls can take up to six months to achieve full independence from their mom and dad, but these kids are well on their way.
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