Ready to fly: Great horned owl chicks test their wings and learn to fly

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Editor's note: Postmedia visual journalist Brent Culver followed the progress of four newly hatched Great Horned Owls in a Calgary park. These pictures were taken at a respectful distance so as not to disturb the birds. Their exact location has not been revealed to allow the owlets to develop with less interference from curious humans.

During the first week of May, four fuzzy heads emerged from their nest above a Calgary park.

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The Great Horned Owl chicks are just starting to look out into the new world, and are clearly freaking out in their nests.

The parents watched the trees beyond the holes 50 meters away, and from there watched as the young began to test their luck and wings on the branches adjacent to the nest.

A week later, the three newly sprouting leaves took off with varying degrees of grace, extending their range to neighboring trees.

Towards the third week of May, one of the young owls was left, and as his brothers had done the week before, he began to leave his limbs.

Other juveniles fly to a nearby tree and land back on the nest as if encouraging their younger sibling.

After the father gave the owl a jolt, it turned outside and let out a clear and audible hoot, and soon after, mother returned with dinner.

It lands on a nearby poplar, and the three mobile youngsters have to wait their turn as it breaks off pieces and feeds them.

The youngest is obviously a few days away from flying with the family, and the cubs are starting to show their titular horns, and their feathers are much lighter than their parents.

Young great horned owls take up to six months to become fully independent from mom and dad, but these kids are well on their way.

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