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Great horned owl doesn't get its feathers ruffled

By JIM NIGRO

At first glance this photo appears to be nothing more than some tall wild grass. But a look just beyond the grass reveals an ominous shape and a pair of sinister-looking eyes. Even before I took this photo the first image I saw was that of a large bundle of feathers with a pair of enormous wings extended.

A closer look revealed a great horned owl that had apparently just made a kill and looks none too pleased over my intrusion. Judging from its size I'd say it's a female and she's on full alert, unsure of my intentions. Her raised tufts and intense, glowering stare seem to be saying, "stay away."   

You may find it funny, but, I took several photos and talked to her the entire time. Though still eyeing me warily, she seemed less tense. Unlike a few previous encounters where the owls repeatedly clacked their beak and emitted a hissing sound, this gal just looked at me as I took her picture.    

I've long had an infatuation with mature great horned owls, dating back to my first enounter in the late Sixties. They are an ultimate predator, and while highly nocturnal, they do make daytime hunting forays. They can rotate their head 280 degrees, enabling them to watch their own back, so to speak. That's quite an asset while hunting from a perch. Their long, thick talons will easily skewer flesh and they are built for silent flight as there is no swooshing of air as it passes though their feathers. Except for mating calls and territorial warnings, they navigate the wilds without making a sound.

Eventually I turned and walked away, as fascinated as ever with the great horned owl.

Doug Yeomans

Love the post. I can remember as a kid a great horned owl nested somewhere in the woods pretty close to our house in Tyre, NY. I could hear its distinct call at night while I thought T-Rex was prowling around looking in my bedroom window.

Jul 29, 2013, 10:48am Permalink
Gail Gawlak

Stunning pictures! I have been in love with owls ever since hearing one on a telephone pole outside my home in the middle of the night in Elba. They are truly magnificent creatures!

Jul 29, 2013, 12:46pm Permalink
Elizabeth Downie

It's been a while since your last post, Jim... I've missed you! These are some great photos! We used to have a pair of Great Horned Owls that had a nest in the woods behind my parents' old house years back. We loved listening to their calls and seeing them flying around. They are just beautiful creatures!

Jul 30, 2013, 11:28am Permalink
JIM NIGRO

Thank you, Elizabeth....we occasionally hear them calling from the woods that border Tonawanda Creek out back of our home and further upstream. Along with the mournful and at times maniacal call of the Loon, the Great Horned Owl ranks right up there as my favorite call of the wild!

Jul 31, 2013, 6:58am Permalink

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