I Miss The Owls
For 5 out of the 7 years we have been here, a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) pair have nested and raised their chicks within very close proximity to our cabin. My experiences observing the little owlets, from their early days in the nest until long after they have fledged, have been priceless. This happens to be one of the years that they have nested somewhere further afield and I find myself missing them quite a lot. Not just the joy of seeing and photographing them, but most especially hearing the parents hooting back and forth to each other and the juveniles’ plaintive begging calls. As you can see in the above photo, the young bird’s first feathers are much lighter in color than those of adults… but, the eyes are certainly just as yellow!
[Oh, and for anyone that’s interested, this was one of the original photos I started with when doing the digital artwork for the post “Bubo in Black-and-White” — 3rd image on the page.]
I miss them too and have only seen one, once in the spot where I’ve seen them for several years now. I hear them in the field behind my house right now though. What a superb photo Harsi, thanks for sharing.
I still hear them now and then, but I’m having a hard time remembering when the last time I saw one was… I try to remember how incredible lucky I was all those years that they were right outside my front door and feel good about that, instead of feeling bummed that they are scarce this year. So glad that you get to hear their lovely calls at your place. Oh, and thank you for the compliments on the photo… it’s one of my favorites… that little fluff ball in a sea of green.