Photo by Harold Wilion

Speaking strictly as a photographer, the best thing that can happen when photographing newly fledged owlets is having one fall from a tree. Let me explain before you jump down my throat. I’m not talking about very young owlets that don’t have any abilities yet. But once an owl starts branching or fledging, falling on the ground is just a normal, natural part of their development, and if left alone, are fully capable of finding their way back up into a tree. And I can tell you after having watched my first tree walk the other day, it was utterly fascinating and one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in nature. Although this wasn’t the best photo as my shutter was too slow so it needed some Topaz sharpening, it’s a great example of how they “walk” up a tree using their talons and beak with a little help in propulsion and balance by flapping their wings. would say this owl “ran” as opposed to “walked” once he got going and couldn’t believe how quick the process was. I was caught off guard so got very few usable shots as he would move out of the frame so quickly.

I just recently got done seeing a beautiful brood of 4 Barred owls fledge over the course of a few days, and this experience has yielded some of my favorite Barred owl photos ever. I will be posting more in the coming days when I’ve had a chance to finish going through them, so, stay tuned.

Video of a Barred baby climbing a tree (Not the same person or owl)