Final Neighborhood Owl Photos

The Owlets have all learned to fly and the family moved on

I last saw my neighborhood Great Horned Owls on the morning of May 7. Since then, they have moved on to somewhere other than their nest tree and the nearby roosting trees. I hear them some nights but they are spending their days in parts unknown- nearby but unknown. Here are some of the photos that I took of them during the few weeks that I was able to keep a close tab on them. On April 23, Mom was in the palm tree that two of her young spent their days in.

One week later, on May 1, the first owlet that had fledged moved to a different neighbor's backyard. It spent a few days in their mesquite trees, right at eye level to me.

That same afternoon Mom flew over to the "skinny" palm tree. She was checking on the two owlets that remained under the skirting of the big palm tree. You can tell it was a windy day. Her plumicorns, those feather tufts on her head, were blowing sideways. Also, even the soft feathers of the brood patch down her chest were blown sideways.

The next night, on May 2nd, the female owl flew to the top of a nearby saguaro well after sunset. I was able to get this silhouette of her.

Both the male and the female Great Horned Owl often spent time in my friend's large palm tree. Here is the female (you can tell by the brood patch) looking directly north towards the palm tree that her two owlets were roosting in.

The next morning, on May 5, one of the owlets had moved to the top of its palm tree. That was a first. In the shot below, see if you can find Mom and the two owlets. It was a very windy morning.

One of the owlets was at the top of the palm tree, in the "10 o'clock" position.

The other owlet was at the bottom of the skirting, at the 5 o'clock position.

The next day, Mom spent her afternoon in the original Aleppo Pine nest tree. I couldn't find the owlets that afternoon but Mom spent time out in the open in that pine tree.

After sunset, Mom moved to the top of the pine tree. She was calling a few times. While I was watching her and taking pictures, she was photobombed by Dad who flew by and in front of his partner. They both spent some time together at the top of the pine before Dad took off for his night's hunt.

The following morning, Mom was still in the pine tree but on a different and lower perch and out in the open. She must have had a long night because she yawned deeply at one point.

I couldn't find Dad anywhere nearby nor could I find any of the three owlets. That afternoon I looked at all of the usual perches and no owls could be found. I miss them but feel very lucky to have spent three good weeks observing them almost daily. The parents will feed the young for another few months while the young Great Horned Owls learn to fly well and eventually learn to hunt. By early winter, the little ones will be sent on their way to find their own territories.