A nesting Great Horned Owl! I haven't even seen a Great Horned Owl since I left California 26 years ago - never mind seeing one on a nest. You could kill me now and I would die happy! I should point out that I didn't find the owl myself. This owl was discovered by an amateur naturalist named Lois. This is Lois's nesting Great Horned Owl.
Great Horned Owls were magical to me long before 'Harry Potter.' When I live in California, a Great Horned owl flew right over my head almost every night when I went walking in a wildlife sanctuary. If you are lucky enough to experience the majestic and supernaturally silent flight of a Great Horned Owl even once in your life, you are very lucky. It happened to me hundreds of times, and each time it was sheer magic.
Would you have known this was an owl if you saw it yourself? I wouldn't, and I consciously look for owls almost all the time. If I had been walking through these woods in the snow, though, I wouldn't have noticed it. Congratulations, Lois!
Observing GH Owl nests is very enjoyable. In the Idaho neighborhood I just moved from, we'd have two or three nests a year to watch. One year it was at eye-level just 10 feet from the trail. I will miss them this year. Please take lots of photos as the owlets grow and develope. This way I can live it vicariously through you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find!
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