Sibling cuteness

On 27 April 2014, I called in to see the family of Great Horned Owls in a local park and finally got to see the two owlets up on the rim of the nesting cavity. The last time I saw them, just their heads were visible inside the nest. Various friends had been posting photos of these youngsters climbing up on top of the broken tree, so I knew that if I didn't go very soon, the owlets would have fledged to a different tree and then would be difficult or impossible to photograph.

Two days ago, I had heard from a friend that the older owlet had just fledged that day, so yesterday, I called in to see them again, only to find that both youngsters were gone. One was sitting with Mom on a high branch, and the other was way, way up, almost at the very top of the same tree. It was so disappointing to see that this had happened so quickly - usually, they spend quite some time practising, flapping and exercising their wings while perched on the rim of the nest. Just so thankful that I did go on Sunday and manage to get a few photos of them before they fledged. Unfortunately, there will be quite a few disappointed people.