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Little Owl - Netherlands / Beleef de Lente

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birdcamfan:
I have seen them go back in the nest box but they tend to stay in the hallway and look outside or stand on the ledge, then one day they are just gone. I wonder if this little guys leg is a developmental abnormality. I was looking back at the earlier clips because it had bothered me that when he was less than a week old he would often be on his back with his legs kicking in the air. I had never seen an owl chick or any other chick do that after the first day or so. Maybe he already had a problem at that point. The Mom here is thought to be a first timer, she really dotes on the chick.

susha:
He seems to be a strong little thing and is obviously eating and growing...it's very painful to watch that poor wretched leg, but the little owl doesn't seem to be aware of anything wrong and just keeps going.  Once the chicks make it out into the "hallway", do they go back and forth from the nest box, bcf?  Or so they stay in the hallway?  I guess the odds are against this wee creature, but he's so full of spunk, that he just might make it!  I sure hope so. :-*

birdcamfan:
Little Stone Owl's leg is quite obviously stiff and formed differently than his other one. He is getting around now that his Mom is less frequently hovering over him. He is starting to get some feathers and flapping his wings madly. He seems to have a lot of strength and I hope that helps him overcome his problem. His first battle is to get out of the nest box which has an elevated small hole leading to a small "hallway". In other years the chicks have gone to this area as soon as they could manage the leap and it seems to happen when their wing feathers have grown. They fledge within a week to 10 days after going out of the nest box to the hallway.

birdcamfan:
I was very sad when I read this news. They have been watching this little one for a week with the injury/stiffness. I haven't seen anything indicating how this happened. Maybe it was born that way. We have to keep our hope for this little one up. Maybe with some growth, this will turn around for the better.

susha:
So the little birdie has a stiff leg that seems to be impeding his/her mobility.  They don't know the cause and they don't know if the chick will be able to leave the nestbox when the time comes to go out and become independent - about three weeks typically.  The researchers say that they often find dead chicks in the nestboxes that they provide for the owls, but this is the first time that they (and the world) are able to see a drama like this unfold.  They will watch to see what happens, but they expect that if the babe can't get out on his own, the parents will eventually stop feeding it and it will starve to death.  The researchers don't intend to give in to the inevitable public pressure to rescue the chick and keep it in captivity, but they will take it and euthanize.  Just a wait and see right now.  The chick continues to grow and thrive and anything can happen!

 :-* :'( :(

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