Mom and Baby Great Horned Owl

by Judi Dressler

Title

Mom and Baby Great Horned Owl

Artist

Judi Dressler

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

A rare moment to see both mom and baby Great Horned Owl's faces while in the nest! When mom was inside feeding she had her back to me. There is another owlet down inside the nest cavity. This photo was taken near sundown, and I like how everything is back-lit; you can see the glow on the owlet's outstretched wing. In a minute or two, the mom will take off. Great Horned Owls, like most other owls, are nocturnal, and become more active as the sun goes down.

One of the most common owls in North America, the Great Horned Owl is often seen in Colorado, and its deep hoots may be heard rolling through the air on mid-winter nights. With their long, earlike tufts, penetrating yellow-eyed stare, and deep hooting voice, Great Horned Owls are the owls of storybooks. These owls nest very early here -- in January -- and as a result the babies are already getting big in April and fledge in May. These powerful predators can take down birds and mammals even larger than themselves, but they also dine on daintier fare such as tiny scorpions, mice, and frogs. This owl is equally at home in deserts, wetlands, forests, grasslands, backyards, cities, and almost any other semi-open habitat between the Arctic and the tropics.

Photo taken in Boulder, Colorado, on May 3, 2019

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Descriptive keywords and tags for this image include great horned owl, great horned owls, great horned owl babies, owls, owl family, nest, nesting, mom and baby, momma, baby, owlets, ghos, babies, young, mom, parent, spring, raptor, colorado, bubo virginianus, bubo, tree, wild, wildlife, nature, photograph, fine art, photography, photo, judi dressler, and dressler.

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May 29th, 2019

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