Mom

This is my favourite Great Horned Owl family, whom I check on fairly regularly. I was so disappointed when I went to the park the other day, as there was no sign of Mom or the new baby in the nest. I could see that a lot more roadworks had been going on in the area, including the small road that passes immediately below their nest. My concern was that the owls had finally been forced to move. I wandered through the grove of trees to see if there was any sign of Dad, who always sits in a tree keeping watch over the nearby nest. There he was and then I suddenly noticed Mom sitting two trees away. I raised my eyes almost to the top of the VERY tall tree she was sitting in - and there was the new baby! I would guess that maybe the baby has only been flying for a couple of days. These are NOT my best owl photos, LOL, but I wanted an up-to-date photo of each owl for my own record. Note: Dad seems to be contentedly sleeping, while Mom is wide awake and making sure that the new addition to the family was safe! I always wonder where their young one from last year moved on to. I guess they never return "home" to visit once they have moved on?