Kowabunga!

From the time I arrived at the nest area, this little one was rambunctious…very inquisitive…and ready to explore.  It seemed much more advanced than its sibling, which led some of us to ponder whether this one is a girl.  Thus, the upcoming usage of the pronoun 'she'.

While Mom roosted in a nearby tree, one of her two babies cried, bounced, bobbed, flapped its wings, walked up and down branches, and cried some more. Mom didn't seem to care.

When she paused and crouched with an intense 'I Can Do It' look,  I sensed she was gearing up for an adventure.  Something big.  Really big.  And, then...

KOWABUNGA! 

She leaped a good distance to another tree, nailing the landing by extending her claws and tucking her wings like she had done it many times before.  (The SDP editorial board had a lively debate as to whether this photo was blog-worthy due to the poor quality; however, the storyline won.)  I thought that was her big adventure…until awhile later she unexpectedly flew to the ground -- just 10 feet or so away from me.  The light was so low I gave up on still photos and opted for video...

After her brief yet exciting adventure seeing life from the ground up, she confidently marched up a tree to a safe location.  During the excitement, I wondered where Mama Owl was lurking.  Surely, she had to be nearby.   Within moments of Baby returning safely to the tree, she swooped in and nuzzled the little one and gave her a quick once over.  Safe and sound.  So precious.  What an adventure!