[birding] Re: Great-horned Owl

[lisaaves at peak.org]

Last September, Don & I were walking along the Cheadle Marsh dike trail at
Finley on a sunny afternoon.  A Great Horned Owl flew up from the dike,
carrying away a large Common Garter Snake.  We heard begging owl calls
from the woods intermittently all afternoon.  In the evening there were
two adult owls hunting and carrying the prey into the forest, toward the
screeching young.  They were still hunting, catching rodents at an amazing
pace, when we left at dusk.
Through September and October we were getting there by sunrise to watch
the elk, and we heard some little owls begging like they were half-starved
almost every time.  In April of last year we'd seen fledglings, so I was
surprised to see youngsters in September.  Then I read that Great Horned
Owls do not produce two broods in a year.  But there seemed to be a lot of
little voles running around, so I wondered if maybe they can raise a
second brood in good hunting years.  Or, perhaps if the first attempt to
nest was unsuccessful, they'll try again, and it's these replacement
broods we see late in the year.
Lisa
www.neighborhood-naturalist.com