Adventures With Mel & Syd: Adventures with Mel and Syd

SNN (ScrollingNetworkNews) ✿ ✿ Our Mel and Sydney returned to their nesting box with plenty of bonding occurring..but after 2.5 months of Sydney in the box from Dec 2013 to mid Feb 2014, the lack of prey gifts from Mel ( perhaps due to the severe and historic drought underway in California)and they have forgone the nesting process this year as many other raptors ✿ Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, Barn Owls consume more rodents – often regarded as pests by humans – than possibly any other creature. ✿ We remind viewers that sometimes owlets may not survive - the parents will dispose of things in "The Owl Way" -viewer discretion is advised, this is nature and the "Owl way". ✿ ~ ✿ “Animals, like us, are living souls. They are not things. They are not objects. Neither are they human. Yet they mourn. They love. They dance. They suffer. They know the peaks and chasms of being.” ― Gary Kowalski, The Souls of Animals ✿ Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius." ~ E.O. Wilson

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Adventures with Mel and Syd

After a few failed attempts to lure the female into the box in Dec. 2012 and a very "Empty" and lonely month of Jan with barely a sound coming out of the greenbelt, Mel is giving it another shot in Feb.
He spent the last two days inside the box claiming his kastle and hardley leaving for even a squirtz (which he did inside the box-LOL)

Will Mel get the attention a mate (Sydney) tonight and will he be successful luring her to his kastle?

At 10:00pm something catches Mel's attention and he heads out the door.

He looks around with glances of what appears to have been a owl flying around. He takes off and lands in the greenbelt as we all discover a new perch landing spot of his (see video below)

At 2:00am a female (?) arrives and goes inside the box.

This mystery UFO even provided us with a few Owlympics moves nearly climbing up the side of the box and moving like a prized fighter bobbing and weaving in front of the camera lens.
She soon leaves.

Mystery owl

Mel arrived back deeting into the box at 4:06am.
He was followed by a female UFO (in pictures below) which landed on the porch. He danced, deeted, chittered, toe dusted & beak snapped but he wouldn't let her in. At one point he even lunged at the front of the door letting this owl he meant business.
She soon gave up and left 4:29am.

A flyby spotted at 5:24 on the BEV cam followed by boom cam shaking (UFO landed on it?).

The mystery UFO then flew to rooftop 5:28 (does the rooftop hop) then off to the trees.
If you were viewing and went full screen you could see the UFO was perching below Syd’s branch.
As UFO flew to boom cam 5:32 Mel stepped out in a defensive stance. He went back in. Brave UFO landed on playground 6:04, hopped to porch 6:05. As UFO flew around the box 6:06 Mel stepped out facing the greenbelt then flew off for the day.