Owls and More!

 I had not been over to see my owls friends in a couple of weeks, so it was time. We had thought there were 2 owlets but turns out they have 3 this year! Triplets! That will be lots of extra work for Sonny and Cher! 
I decided to get up and pop over to see the owls first thing this morning. Lots of people know about the nest, so it can get pretty crowded in the evening. So first thing in the morning is the best time to go to have them all to myself. 
So I got over there around 7am and quickly spotted Cher not far from the nest. Looks like a tired mom to me!

  On the other side of the path was Sonny. He was keeping an eye on the nest.

 

Then it got very interesting! A squirrel got too close to the nest and Sonny flew in like a bullet! That squirrel is very lucky that both the owls do not like the taste of squirrel. 

The owlets had been snoozing but finally they woke up and gave me a few pics....

Here you can see all 3 owlets!

Sonny stayed close by and found a sunny spot to nap.

It was hard to pull myself away from the owls but since I had not had coffee or breakfast, I had to head home. I got fueled up, chatted with my sister on the phone, then grabbed Hazel and we headed out for some fun!

We headed over to hike the boulder valley ranch loop. On the way I decided to check in with the Coot lake owls. Before I got to the owls, I spotted a pair of kestrels. The male is on the right with the bluish color on his wings.

Momma owl was barely visible.....

Dad was close by....

Finally we got to the trail head, so Hazel was a happy dog! I decided to bring my camera long and I am so glad I did. This handsome meadowlark posed so nicely for me!

Prairie dogs are everywhere but Hazel could care less! That is good because it is up to a 1000$ fine if your dog is caught chasing wildlife. Yes, Hazel is the perfect dog!

We did the big loop which is about 3 miles and finally got to the pond. Hazel is now a water dog and just loved it!

Finally Hazel was slightly tired, so we headed back to the car. I decided to stop back to see my owl friends on the way home. These owlets are so cute! 

The owlets went back to sleep so it was time to head home.......

So I'm driving home and spot a large bird in the cottonwood tree behind the firehouse. It looked too big to be a hawk and to my delight it was a blad eagle! What a way to end the morning! I got a few shots, said thanks and made my way home. What a great day! Thanks for reading!