The Owls of Il Fiorello

We have an owl! There are lots of owls in the valley but this one has chosen to grace us with her presence. Earlier this year we had an eagle and then found remnants of an owl that became dinner. We did not think that we would have owlets this year. BUT! On Saturday June 29, I walked around the corner to water our roses and wisteria. To my surprise found a very large and not so friendly owl on the ground facing in my direction. It was clearly a teenage owl as it had full feathers and some pin feathers. He was very hot and in distress from the heat. After consulting Wildlife Rescue and Bird Rescue we ran a hose with a water mister close to the bird and within an hour it was obviously much better.

Owls can be dangerous birds as they are predator birds with large beaks and large talons. Do not approach the birds as they will be aggressive, even if they are ill. We have owl boxes on the property to control rodents, and support good agricultural practices. We would rather have the owls control the little critters that eat our trees than use pesticides.

On Sunday morning we arrived to find the owl in the tree branches and much happier, the wings were closed and eyes shut just riding the branches of the tree with the wind.

Today Jenny and I went out to check on the birds and there were two on the perch outside of the box. We were very happy to see them healthy and enjoying the Suisun breezes. Mark then went out and declared that there are three teenage owls. So of course we named them Olive, Olivia, and Oliver.

I hope you enjoy their pictures. They are very wary and move back into the house if I get close. We do not want to disturb them as they need the breeze to cool off. We are taking pictures with a very long lens so as not to disturb them.

We treasure the presence of the owls and respect that they are wild and aggressive birds. We hope sharing these pictures will give you a sense of what it is like to live on a working farm.