For the last weekend I was sitting at the computer near our patio doors. It was starting to get dark out and all of a sudden I was a large bird fly over the house. Hummmmm, I thought. The only birds that are out at this time of day would be an OWL. So I slowly opened the patio door and listened. The Owls hooting sounded like it was sitting on the roof. Then I heard the other one return it's call. As I scanned the trees in our yard I almost jumped out of my skin with excitement. Perched on top of one of our tall spruce trees was the OWL. Not just any Owl. It was a Great Horned Owl. OMG. When I did a search on the web for them. I found out that this is their breeding and nesting time here in Wisconsin. I also found out that they do not build their own nests. They will use other birds nests. Like Hawks or Crow nests. No wonder we have so few wild rabbits. I just need to keep a close eye on our little dog when I let her out at night to go potty. I am still so thrilled to know they are nesting somewhere around here. Last night I heard them again. WOW.
Oh how I wish I could have seen that owl of yours Tooty. I've only ever seen Great Horned Owls over here in zoos or wildlife sanctuaries. How lucky you were to have it come so close to your home.
Thanks Eileen. Yes it was a thrill. You must have some neat Owls in your corner of the world though. I knew we had Owls around our area. But I never dreamed it would be a Great Horned owl.
We have them around here but I've actually only seen one once. They are majestic looking aren't they?
We do have quite a few owls here in Scotland Tooty - six species to be exact. Barn owls, Short eared owls, Tawny owls, Little owls, Long eared owls, and, now and then, we get Snowy owls but further up north. I've seen Barn owls, short eared and tawnies in the wild but have yet to see the other three.
Oh my, how thrilling for you! We hope to attract owls, but haven't had any luck so far. A Great Horned owl--how wonderful!
Eileen: Wow, that is quite a few species of Owls. Here in Wisconsin we have the Barred Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl and during the winter the Snowy Owl. Marlin--Yes it was. Hopefully you can attract them to your area. A friend of ours bought one of those fake plastic Owls that you can put out in your garden to keep pest birds away. They said that it only worked to attract Owls. They purchased theirs at a FleetFarm store. Donna: Yes like most Owls they are rather reclusive. With it being mating season here that may be why the Owl was in our area. I heard them both again calling to one another on Friday night. So I am hoping that they are nesting in our area.
I love owls! We had had several Snowy Owls this winter, a Barred Owl, and we have seen Great Horned and Barn Owls in the past. They are amazing birds and I like to see them around as there are usually lots of bunnies eating my shrubs during the winter. No bunnies this year!
The first Great Horned Owl I saw was at the Boston Museum of Science. The year was 1959 and the 8 year old owl, named Spooky was a feature at the museum. Rescued as a baby owl it had been brought to the museum. Over his lifetime Spooky entertained over 30 million visitors to the museum. He earned the distinction of being the world’s oldest Great Horned Owl held in captivity. As owls in the wild seldom live beyond 10 years, spooky’s accomplishment was quite remarkable. I saw spooky several times over his lifetime the last being in 1986. Then during the first week in April, 1989 age caught up with spooky. There was hardly a dry eye in the museum as the news of his passing echoed through the museum. His legacy began a museum program of live animals that not only entertain but teach us about nature and the animals we seldom see. Spooky’s Story- http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...6xJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gw4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3641,3390442
Netty that sounds wonderful with all those Owls around. YES they are great bunny hunters. No bunnies eating our shrubs either. Jerry: what a wonderful story. We have a wildlife refuge located in the outskirts of Green Bay, Wis. They have several different kinds of Owls, hawks, Bald Eagles and other birds that have been injured and not longer can live in the wild. It's a neat place to see those birds up close and personal. They also have a Great Horned Owl that they take around to schools too educate the kids on these beautiful birds. I can imagine with Spooky having such a legacy he was sadly missed.
I would love to have them...I agree, very exciting for you. I know when I spot a new bird, I am on the phone telling someone. Of course some of the non bird people might thing I am a little silly but I love nature.....
Jerry, that is a wonderful story--thank you! The Cameron Park Zoo in Waco has rescued birds living in different habitats. They have Cara Caras that have wounded wings, two Bald Eagles that can't live in the wild, and others that have been brought to the zoo for rehabilitation. The wounded birds when healed are released into the wild if possible, and if not they become part of the zoo bird family, and some are used for educational purposes. When the Zoomobile pulls up at a school or library, it's a big event! Sherry8, I have called neighbors at 8 a.m. to tell them about an unusual bird in our pasture or yard. If they aren't enthused, I strike them off my Christmas card list! We are not silly--we are observant and nature loving!
