Nesting Owls

Recently one of our dedicated volunteers snapped this photo of a great horned owl that is nesting on Norm's Island. The pair is not shy of people, as they have chosen to build their nest right above a main walking trail!
The great horned owl is one of the most common owls in the Americas. We first noticed the pair nesting on the island about a month ago, in early March. They use a variety of nest sites, and typically won't make their own nest, preferring instead to take over a nest made by another species. They will have one to five eggs at a time, and the young owls hatch in a fairly helpless condition. They are one of the earliest mating and nesting birds; the young owls should be hatching very soon. Meanwhile, other birds are still returning from a winter in the south and haven't began to build nests yet.
Stop by to visit us and see the owls soon!