This is Bird Note.

Hi, in a tall cottonwood tree, a pair of great horned owls is tending two nestlings.

The young owls emerged from their eggs in early spring.

When the young birds finally put on a second set of down feathers, the parents could leave

them alone while they hunted.

By mid-April, the nestlings were already showing their namesake ear tuffs.

They began to leave their big, stick nest to climb along the tree's branches.

What a noisy pair, waiting impatiently for their parents to deliver food.

Now in May, the great horned owlets are as big as the adults.

Their wing and tail feathers have developed nicely, so the owlets have begun making short

flights, yet they still rely almost entirely on their parents for food.

On a recent evening, the adults presented the owlets with a young striped skunk.

At two pounds, a sizeable, somewhat odiferous meal.

These owls are the only birds that regularly dine on these smelly creatures.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.

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