Molly & McGee: A MOD Love Story

  Here we are in 2013 already and it's hard to imagine three years has passed since we first met them. That owl couple we adored and forever hold in our hearts. Just the sound of their names takes us back to that wonderful magical time we spent at the Owlbox with none other than Molly and McGee and their owlets.

   And oh what a time it was. Hour upon hour spent with them, many late into the night for us East coasters. As they mated, brooded and hatched those two amazing clutches we followed every moment. It was all so new to most of us and we learned so much about barn owl behavior through our watching. Every hatch was a wonderful sight to behold and those two owlets lost in the 2nd clutch a reminder of just how fragile life is. We watched them grow from tiny prehistoric looking beings into fuzzy white owlets and then into their beautiful barn owl feathers, a miraculous transition we never tired of. As they fledged one by one it was a nerve racking time that left us on the edge of our seats hoping they would land safely and return to the box. After they all left it was just Molly and McGee together in the box, side by side, sleeping, preening and loving each other. The love and affection they had for one another a sight so priceless and how I best like to remember them.

   But time marches on, Carlos went his way and the cams were no more. Last April he gave us the tragic news that McGee did not return while hunting for their 4th clutch and we knew he was gone. Molly tried her best but could not save her owlets. She stayed around the Owlbox for some time afterwards but then she too left. Gone but never forgotten, for these two owls left a legacy that will last a lifetime. 

   We call ourselves MOD's and I consider it a privilege to be one. A very special community that has brought so much joy to so many. We've made lasting friendships and met new MOD friends along the way. Who could have imagined the wonderful things that have come from watching those two owls. We've since found other cams to watch and chat and Facebook groups to gather in and share.

   Yet we find ourselves here three years later still as madly in love with Molly and McGee as ever. And I suspect we always will be.