Molly (the Owl)'s Wiki [licensed for non-commercial use only] / Chris In Olympia, WA

UPDATE on Molly, McGee, & the Owlets

7/4/2012 - July 4th - What a Wonderful Day

http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/july-4th-what-a-wonderful-day/

7/1/2012 - The Boy (Kestrel) Fledges

http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/the-boy-fledges/

6/29/2012 - Cameras Removed

"With the owl box empty, I decided it was time to remove the remaining camera and wiring and give Donna her dining room table back. Now you know why over time the picture gets fuzzy or cloudy. (See picture above.) Even though I was able to clean up the camera it no longer worked and had to junked like so many of the other cameras. These web cameras are just not designed for this type of use but we made them work. If you remember back then, I had installed almost a dozen cameras, all out doors (these are not outdoor cameras) with over 3,000 feet of wiring running everywhere so we could broadcast for you The Owl Box and surroundings. That is just what it took but now I have removed all the cameras and all the wiring. If Molly or some other owl comes back they will be able to have their babies without the world watching..."

http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/cameras-removed/

6/16/2012 - Got Baby Kestrels

"Surprise, Surprise, we have baby kestrels. Just when we had given up and said nothing was going to hatch, look what popped up this morning. This kestrel hatch has been so different from ones in the past. In the past there was lots of bonding and tons of food being delivered with the box being almost a bee hive of activity but not this time. We observed bonding only once and rarely food deliveries and when we returned the female was not in the box but spending all her time outside of the box. We just assumed nothing happened. In fact, when Donna was looking out the window this morning she comments that there were just no birds in the backyard and that it had been a bust year. About an hour later I was looking out the window and notice a grey spot inside the circle and grabbed the binoculars. I started shouting, “We got babies, we got babies!” Donna came running over to see with a “Well, I ‘ll be.” We don’t have a camera on the Kestrel box so there won’t be any broadcasting but we will keep you posted on their development."

http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/got-baby-kestrels/

6/15/2012 - Molly MIA

"Molly has not been seen now in over three weeks. She was coming back to the box on a regular basis as we reported, but then after she rejected the male that showed up shortly after the disappearance of McGee, Molly gradually decided to go looking elsewhere. Even though we have always said that this was Molly’s box and called it Molly’s Box. The way it really works according to The Book of Owls is the male picks the box or nesting location and brings in food to entice the female, so more than likely some male has attracted her to a new location or at least we like to think so more than the alternative that something has happened to Molly. Either way, more than likely we will not see Molly again.

Remember, this is not The End, it is only a chapter or a book in the cycle of life.

Gee, this has been fun, and I was a part of it but now it is time to move on."

http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/molly-mia/

4/21/2012 - A Wisdom of Owls

A Wisdom of Owls, a novel by Mary Pat Hyland.

Molly Update: Molly rejected her young suitor, so for now The Owl Box is empty.

http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/a-wisdom-of-owls/

3/15/2012 - Molly Is Fine

"Molly is fine. She has revisited the owl box every night just after sunset. The box has been empty during the day. She only stays long enough to look around, rough up some gag shag and then stomp on or dance around the patio. An owl’s way of letting other owls know this is her box...."

http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/molly-is-fine/

Link to McGee Tribute page

3/12/2012 _Tribute to McGee and the Fourth Clutch

"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we are reporting that we have not seen McGee since March 9th, the day DeeDee hatched. We think he is gone....When Molly returned with food she quickly placed the gopher in the pantry and checked on DeeDee. DeeDee showed no signs of life, so Molly gently lifted DeeDee and placed her away from the eggs. It was a very moving moment. She then lightly touched the eggs with the palm of her claw searching for the warmth of life. We could tell there was none as she rolled the eggs over and over continually touching them, not wanting to give up. Tears came to our eyes as we realized that Molly is the only survivor of the fourth clutch....."

http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/tribute-to-mcgee-and-the-fourth-clutch/