Good morning. I put too much cream in my coffee… I normally drink my coffee black with no sugar, but I made some homemade ice cream the other day (which is delicious!!) and have some leftover cream so figured I would put a spoonful in my coffee this morning as a ‘treat.’ Nope. There is a reason I drink my coffee black. Ah well.
Hedwig is doing great, she is getting bigger and stronger every day. I have her in a small box/nest with narrow sides which help support her as she is still working on strengthening up her legs. With the help of the box she can now fully stand upright and almost looks like an owl!! Also her appetite has increased tenfold and she now eats a whole mouse (chopped up) per feeding. I have mucho respect for mama barn owls, I have no clue how they manage to feed eight of these little monsters at once.
Over the weekend we went down to the Nuanetsi River for a day of fishing and for a nice braai. Of course, Hedwig joined along. I guess it is not everyday you have the opportunity to take your owl to a braai.
From our braai spot we could see South Africa. Sigh. So close, yet so far. It is amazing how much South Africa has truly become home to me. My heart yearns for it. Damn Coronavirus.
It was a lovely and much needed day out. Our spot was nestled next to the river and some stunning rock cliffs. There was a pod of hippos that kept popping there heads up throughout the day to keep a cautious eye on us. The weather was perfect throughout the day, the sun was warm, but not hot and there was a constant breeze. The fishing were biting like mad the kids were having such a jol catching them piercing the air with joyous screams of “FISH ON!” each time they had a bite on the line. We braai’d braaibroodjies and wors. Hmm…. I just realised I should probably make a South African slang translation post for you Americans reading along… stay tuned, I will get on that now! We packed up as it started getting dark to make our way back to Mbilu (the reserve headquarters where most of us live and where the offices are), which was about a 2-3 hour drive. I even spotted a cheeky hyena checking out the braai site as we were packing up.
All in all it was a wonderful day.
adventureiswild.com 
Awesome news. I’ve been praying for Hedwig. Please stay safe and keep us updated
Thank you! I truly thought she was a goner a week ago. She amazes me with her strength. It has been an amazing experience to rescue her and to become her owl mommy.
What will she look when full grown? Can’t remember what type of owl she is if you stated that previously or I’d just Google it
She is a barn owl, so that very classic “owl look”
Hey Jo,
What a wonderful day out but hope you didn’t depend on the fish catch for dinner. Hedwig looked perfectly at home in her little box house and eats a whole mouse for daily sustenance. WOW !!!
Continue to have a good time and stay safe.
Best regards,
Frank
Actually the whole mouse is per feeding! She eats about 3 to 4 times a day!