Springtime is owl time! Our Florida owls nest in the winter months. In spring, their owlets fledge the nest. Our Great-horned Owlets usually fledge the nest in March or April. There are usually one or two eggs that hatch, and the adults raise them.
Each adult pair is different; some pairs work very well together in raising their young, while others a lot falls on the mother. When the hatchling owlets fledge the nest, they practice jumping from tree limb to tree limb and start flapping their wings until they’re strong enough for a test flight.
I started monitoring a nest at Lake Seminole Park in Pinellas County back in January. The park had a nest box installed in a medium-sized pine tree near the center. In January, I could only barely make out the top of the mother’s ears as she was incubating eggs. By mid-February, you could see two fluffy fledglings with fuzzy, rounded heads.
In early March, I visited the park and could not find them in the nest box but did find them in nearby trees, where I snapped these photos. Both parents kept a watchful eye on the two owlets from their respective trees. So, with April upon us, expect to hear more owls around as the new generation starts their journey!