Response to questions in comment section

Hi! Thanks for all the comments! I think this is a place where we can have longer discussions about what's going on in Molly's world.

I guess I didn't see the entire rabbit episode. I only saw the part where she takes the rabbit outside. I think she was eating it out there, based on the yum yum sounds she was making intermittently. That sound is usually associated only with having a tasty morsel in her mouth.

I agree that it may have been "off". It was probably getting gamey/old, and maybe she was able to handle eating it but would not feed something that challenging to little babies.Wesley would occasionally eat day old or slightly off food. She seems to give almost all the food that comes in to the babies. I know they lose a lot of weight when they're in there feeding babies and that they only eat enough to subsist, so that the babies have the maximum amount of food.

I noticed that last night or this morning she was eating on that rat carcass, but she wasn't eating the choice chunks, she was eating mostly skin and fur, having given the best to the babies. But if she is eating the occasional head, that's good nutrition for her Also, she has to get all her water from the prey! Owls rarely approach water in the wild, although there have been rare observations of them bathing.

There's so much yet to learn! The learning never ends! That's what I absolutely LOVE about being a biologists - you can never know everything because these are living, thinking beings and they have their own individual outlook, and will do their own creative behaviors that you've never seen before. I always say that Wesley was always 2 steps ahead of me in terms of me finally realizing what he was up to or thinking or even doing. That feeling of amazement is addicting. And what is more stunningly gorgeous, or more openhearted and expressive than a barn owl.

About the mouse escape, I think she thought it was paralyzed like the mice her parents used to bring her. It was sort of playing dead, although she had to know it was alive! Unless she was so distracted by the babies that she didn't notice anything. I couldn't see it breathing when it was in her talons. Her expression was priceless. The mouses' expression was equally priceless! That is some great footage!

Carlos ought to submit it to Animal Planet's funniest animal videos, although maybe it wouldn't go over well w/ suburban America. I wonder if she caught it outside and ate it or if it got away. I kind of think it earned a new life.

About the egg - I doubt it will hatch, but never say never. It's pretty normal to have some non-viable eggs in amongst the viable ones, and for them not to hatch. It doesn't seem to bother the female, who is so busy w/ her living babies that she can't fret over a dead egg. Also, a dead egg will not be talking to her, so she's not bonding with anyone inside or expecting it to hatch. We'll see though

The babies grow sooo fast! I could see in the morning that Wesley was bigger than he had been the night before. I know that babies are capable of eating 6-7 mice per night once they get a little bigger. Right now they are easier because they're smaller. That's good! It gives the mom time to ramp up to the big time, when it will be crowded and rowdy in the nest.

I also noticed her looking at the rabbit and shaking her head, which they do when they are having trouble making a decision or when something is perturbing to them.

Man, I'm tired! It's so exciting to stay up and watch the owls!

Here's what happens when there's not enough food: The most aggressive (ie. the biggest, the firstborn) baby grabs the first bits of food.l He is fed until he stops grabbing for food, then the next most aggressive baby is grabbing from her beak..and this pattern continues until all the babies are fed, hopefully.

If there's not enough food, though, the littlest and least aggressive baby goes without. In a bad year, the littlest ones will starve, but this is better than letting all the babies starve. I hope that doesn't happen here - I don't think anyone is going to go hungry - McGee is an excellent hunter and there is tons of prey in San Marcos.

-Stacey O'Brien