A bit of background:
Over the past several years we have had Owls in and around our backyard in West Salem, Oregon. Beyond our back fence is a large grove of Cotton Wood Trees on a steep slope and at the top of the slope till very recently was a Christmas Tree Farm. The Christmas Tree Farm is gone and is being replace with some sort of grass crop operation. The field was then plowed in preparation for planting.

On Wednesday, March 18, 2015, Our next door neighbor Bruce was over and we were talking about all the Owl activity we had been hearing. Lots of hoots and squawks. Much more then normal.
Bruce said that he and his wife Karen were watching what appeared to be an Owl’s nest in one of the large Fir Trees in our backyard. Bruce looks over at the Fir Tree and spots an Owlet (Fledgling) hanging off the Fir Tree, about 4 feet off the ground. We think he was trying to climb back up to the nest. Karen joined us and Bruce and Karen were sure they could see another Owlet in the nest.

The Owlet hung out in our backyard but seemed to have left our backyard sometime late Thursday or very early Friday morning. I walked around the backyard and could not find the Owlet. Then right below the Fir Tree with the Owl nest, I spotted an Owlet hiding in the Saint John’s Wort . My first thought was this was a second Owlet. Further observations of this “second Owlet” lead me to think this might be the original. Still I was not convinced. This second Owlet appeared a bit smaller and he stuck to hanging around the bottom of the Fir Tree and did not venture very far. The “first Owlet” ventured around our yard and settled in to hanging around our back fence before it disappeared. Also, Bruce and Karen observing a second Owlet in the nest added credence to the “two Owlet theory”.

Saturday morning there were no Owlets in our backyard. We had heard what sounded like Owlet calls for food (begging calls) about 1 am Saturday morning coming from a tree branch that overhangs our fence. Since then we have not heard or observed any Owl activity. We are convinced the Owl family has move closer to the newly plowed area above the Cotton Wood trees. We are guessing there are lots of field mice and other small rodent creatures that are making their presence know due to all the activity on the old Tree Farm. Also the Western Gray Squirrels that frequent our bird feeders have returned after being out of sight for the past week.

I spoke with the folks at the Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center here in Salem on Thursday and they said all the behaviors we were seeing with the Owl family were perfectly normal. The Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center folks also to us that most Owlets learn to fly AFTER they leave the nest. That was about a 35 foot drop for the Owlet(s)! The parents will continue to feed their young while on the ground and will continue to feed them for about a month as they learn to fly and hunt.