aha. so I was right. owl went outdoors, owl came back:

May 9 – [8:45 PM] Remarkably, one of the owlets stepped entirely out of the box and onto the owlet rail, stood there for about ten minutes, then went back inside the box. In my previous experience this has never happened. In this case, it may make sense, however: The owlet was not the eldest of those remaining in the nest and was occupying the entryway apparently for the purpose of monopolizing food deliveries. It was pushed out from behind by one of its siblings who either wanted to leave, or wanted to do its own monopolizing.

but what is THIS a picture of?

"you came back!!!"
There is an indeterminate number of owlets back in there.

well, he pretty much got the whole THING documented!  What a tour de force!
Thanks, Paul!!!
I also love the picture of the raven with nesting material and the wonderful other birds at the beginning

Um...I'm not sure, but I think the butt branched, and the soldier followed orders immediately afterwards???

In the first he's like an obedient little soldier; in the second, I'm not sure

I love the way their back feathers, between their wings ruffle as they come in! 
Anne in Toronto

yeah, that was my favorite part of the kite video as well

This may be birds, nature, or utterly OT, as you wish.
These guys do fun work filming things and then slowing it way down.
Here is one of red kites flying down to grab food off a parking lot,
The Slow Mo Guys - Red Kites in Slow Motion

but as trippy as it is, I think I prefer the INCREDIBLE ones where they break water balloons The Slow Mo Guys - Giant 6ft Water Balloon

and this one of an insect eating another
The Slow Mo Guys - Fly Eats Fly in Slow Motion

and this one of water vs fire
The Slow Mo Guys - Water vs Fire in slow motion

and this of a gasoline-fueled fireball
The Slow Mo Guys - Massive Petrol Fireball

"Good luck, you splendid little punk," Chris wrote. Check out the great blog entry.

You did see Chris' post today...#5 the adoptee left the nest box last night...

no! I didn't see that! thanks.

check out the position of the owlet in the foreground. It's a bit dark, but nice.

Happy Birthday, Patti !!

Paul

one of the toughest peregrine photographs ever. Great.

but they can wake up at a motion's notice!

Oh, that's a beautiful picture.

I imagine the pace in there as really frenetic, punctuated by periods of catatonic laziness.
I also imagine it smells less than fresh.

they're already falling asleep in there

What the %^#$ was that?

and you KNOW it's the way their eyes are built.
I mean, I'm sure they're a bit flummoxed. But no harm is done by these photo shoots, and the owlet bar is a HUGE boon in terms of branching safety.