24 May Watching you watching me !!

You might need some tissues !!!! Three of these gorgeous little baby owls,  (not sure what breed ?!!) have been playing hide’n’seek with us in the large cedar tree by the end of the swimming pool. Each night for what seems a long time we could hear them all as they began calling to their Mummy for their food,  playing together flitting from one tree to another without being seen.  Five days ago this little one could be clearly seen sitting on a branch all by himself watching everything going on around him, just such a little cutey.  Although it is not uncommon to see owls during the day sitting without making a sound watching you, I did think it rather strange at the time, as he was sitting in the very hot sunshine all day long.  Also, oddly that same evening, it was only this little one that  sat all alone  despairingly calling to his Mummy,  not a sound could be heard from the other two  babies which raised questions as to if all was well.  He must have felt so lonely & scared !  I thought that maybe the other two had died, as in the animal kingdom Mothers only take care of the strong and healthy.  However, I was wrong, it was this little one that was obviously not well. Mummy had obviously left her nest and hiding place with her other two healthy babies, and had left behind this gorgeous fluffy little one. Sadly late on Tuesday night you could tell he was ill, he ceased to call out to his Mummy and sat very still snuggling as close as he could to the vast tree trunk for comfort, exhausted from calling and obviously very hungry.   Sadly yesterday,  he was no longer sitting on his branch in the sunshine watching me watching him, poor little poppet !!