Great Horned Owl On The Nest

[jhuskey]

Late January, on my Birthday, the incubation of the eggs began. Yesterday, two tennis ball sized fuzzy heads poked out from under Mom, but she quickly pushed them back down under her protection.
Photo is Mom, Dad is larger and a gray coloration vs. Mom's brown/tan. More photos to come in the weeks ahead.

[Mike N]

That’s a great nature photo. I would not want to be a field mouse in those woods!

[jhuskey]

Cottontails are their primary food source around here - I have a 3/4+ acre yard and currently 5 kill sites. Our subdivision is small, old farm wooded section with 9 houses on our dead end street, with 6 houses on the main road (their backyard backing up to ours). I try to kill trap every mouse I can, but rabbits and squirrels belong to the owls. Two offspring last year, and the last 5 years we have lived here. Not sure where they go when Mom and Dad boot them out on their own, but they go somewhere in the general area. This is the first place I have lived during my lifetime, where there has been a nesting pair of Great Horned Owls, or that I have known about. Now I know what to look for, when and where. They are fairly secretive birds, top of the food chain apex raptors in these old farmlands.
Best,
John

[jhuskey]

Dad is on duty today.

[jhuskey]

One of the two owlets

[Robin Sayler]

Great Pictures, Keep them coming!

[jhuskey]

Thanks Robin! My wife and I are out of town next week and surely will miss some cool photo ops but more to come for sure.

[Neel]

That is so cool. They used to be a pair below my house. Then the land got developed. Not much down there now except noise.

[jhuskey]

Got back in town yesterday, adult(s) gone, but not far away - up 50 feet in the neighbor's pig pine.
Today, in an oak after feeding, but missed the feeding shot.

[jhuskey]

For the last couple days, owlets have been stretching their legs - branchers now
Lots of wing flapping to build muscles and get ready for flight.......

[jhuskey]

Farther out on a limb...


Looks like rabbit is on the lunch menu...

[RAM]

Nice family. The siblings seem well adapted to getting along together. That wont last long. Thanks for the great photos!

Bad Bob

[jhuskey]

Thanks Bad Bob!

[bettybarr]

Thank you for posting these. This a unique experience to be able to witness.
Betty and Don

[jhuskey]

Thank you Betty and Don!

[jhuskey]

I am disturbing her afternoon nap......

[jhuskey]

Well, a new neighborhood record - this owlet (bolder/flappier of the two) is now 90 yards away from the nest tree, perched in one of our 100 foot tall white oaks. This about a week after walking out of the nest and up the branches of their maple tree home. Her/his sister/brother is still perched high in the maple tree. At first, when I saw only one in the nest tree, I was afraid something had happened to one of them, and well it did. Fledgling for one of the two. Last year it took three weeks.


Edit - next day, the other young owl has flown into a maple about 50-60 feet away from the nest maple. Growing up fast.