1st Exploration Day 26 October

Tonight's the night for exploring - first one chick, and then the other. The two chicks stood on the lip of the pot, flapping their wings. Then they took off, hopping / flapping onto the balcony floor. Teeny remained behind in the nest.

The explorers spent the evening on the balcony floor. With a mixture of bewilderment and excitement, the two chicks took in their new environment. One chick, the middle one with the white chin, flew onto the roof of the owl box we have on the floor. It sat on the roof for most of the evening - watching everything around him / her. The bigger chick tried unsuccessfully to jump / hop onto the wooden perches we have put up around the sides of the pot. Had it used the one perch that goes all the way down to the floor like a ladder, it would have got back up to the nest.

While this was happening, Teeny remained alone in the nest. Both parents flew in with food and alternated feeding Teeny, and the two explorers. At one stage, Pappa flew in with a big rat, tore strips of meat, and gave each chick a piece.

Pappa and Pot Plant Owl were very vocal for the first hour that the explorers were on the floor. There was little hunting done, and one parent remained on constant alert at all times. Eventually, both parents settled down when the chicks were calmer, and the parents moved further away.

Pot Plant Owl spent a lot of time with Teeny at the nest. From past experience, she tries to lure the other chicks back to the nest by feeding the remaining one lots of food. Pot Plant Owl will use the same tactic in reverse when she feels the chicks are ready to fledge - the one afraid of leaving will be lured away from the nest area with food (not receiving food at the nest).

When I fell asleep, both explorers were still on the floor.