The saga continues....

So far this year I've released many babies. Mallards, Golden Eagles, Horned Larks, Mourning Doves, Robins, Great Horned Owls. Today was a most exciting release, that of my two baby Short-eared Owls. They came to me from Absarokee, MT at only a couple days old after their mom was killed by a hay swather.

After many weeks of hiding behind a mask when feeding them. And then moving them to a flight area where they could build up muscles and learn how to make live kills, today they left to begin the next phase of their lives.

They took off so quickly that these are the only photos I got of them. The area was recommended by my friend, Nathan Horton, and it is perfect for these ground nesters, day hunters. It looks as if there are only huge rocks and hills but below and surrounding them are open sagebrush flats, just what these birds need. I wish them well.