First taste of freedom

A Northern Hawk Owl owlet that was banded recently. I believe this was the first day out of the nest for this little one, so it was still down on the ground, though it did manage to claw its way a few feet up a thin, sloping tree trunk with difficulty. This photo was taken a few weeks ago, weeks before it was banded, so the owlet will be flying anywhere it wishes now, just like Mom and Dad, hopefully safe from predators. Thought this "look" was so cute, almost like a shy child hiding behind its mother's skirt : )

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Hawk_Owl/id

I happened to come across the following Blog and it makes quite a nice read, on the subject of baiting/not baiting owls. If you are interested in the subject, and have time, you may want to take quick look:

lauraerickson.blogspot.ca/2011_03_01_archive.html