Editor’s note: The following is a column that originally ran in January 2009:
The conversation lasted late into the evening. A tiny sliver of a moon rose up, the stars came out … and still the participants persisted. They sounded determined, though more than a little repetitious:
“Who’s awake? Me too!”
“Wh-who’s awake? Me too!”
“Who’s awake? Me too!”
Who would carry on like this? Great horned owls, that’s wh-who.
The great horned owl, or GHO for short, is our largest local owl. As a group they are in fine feather this time of year, and fine voice, too. Over the past few weeks, we’ve spoken with folks throughout the TriCities and beyond who’ve heard their neighborhood owls carrying on way into the wee hours. I’ve got a pair in my neighborhood in southwest St. Charles, and I’ll bet you do too.
Pretty neat, huh? But why all the late-night commotion?
This time of year might signal the start of the holiday season for us, but for these birds of prey, it’s the start of the mating season. The who-who-whos you’re hearing are the owls’ way of declaring territory – a sort of avian “Back off!” – as well as a pair’s way of staying in touch.
If you listen closely, you’ll even be able to tell wh-who’s who. The male GHO, wh-who can be up to one-third smaller in size than the female, has a deep hoot; the female’s call, though just as loud and resonant, has a noticeably higher pitch.
Evening and night are the best times to hear the evocative calls of Bubo virginianus which should work out just fine if you’re nocturnal by nature. But not everyone likes to walk outside after dark – especially this time of year when overnight temperatures can be chilly.
If you’d like to check for owls in the daytime, bring a pair of binoculars. Even though GHOs are pretty big–up to 2 feet tall, with a 3- to 5-foot wingspan—they are cryptically colored and blend in remarkably well against the browns and tans of the trees in which they roost. Binocs will help you discern whether that dark mass in a tree is a resting owl or something else, like a large burl or maybe a wayward wad of leaves.
Check around stands of evergreens if you can. Owls have an affinity for pine, spruce and fir trees. Their needled boughs make excellent windbreaks and offer great cover on inclement days. Check the trees for birds, and check the ground for pellets – the lumps of fur, bones and other indigestibles that owls regurgitate prior to feeding.
If you’re lucky enough to have a tree with a red-tailed hawk’s nest, keep an eye on it. Redtail nests are solidly built, much more so than those of squirrels and crows, and tend to be situated near reliable sources of prey. They’re also not being used by hawks at this time of year. Sturdy construction and location, location, location make hawk nests hot properties in the raptor real estate market.
During your daytime search, keep your ears tuned for disruptions in the form of loud caws and jeers, the vocalizations of crows and blue jays. These local corvids are particularly wary of their predator neighbors and frequently participate in a behavior known as mobbing – ganging up on a hawk or owl (or cat) and pestering the heck out of it. Usually the big bird (or cat) will just fly (or run) away, but on at least one occasion a local GHO was seen flying away from a mob with a crow clenched tightly in its talons.
GHOs have many outstanding features, including wings designed for silent flight; sharp hearing; and eyesight that can discern shapes and movement, though not color, at night. But perhaps their most remarkable assets are those talons. Sharp as needles and an inch or more in length, they are backed by foot muscles that can apply as much as 500 pounds per square inch of pressure—that’s more than 10 times the strength of an average human hand. It’s no wonder this bird’s nickname is Winged Tiger.
Should your quest for owls extend into winter, and you find an owl on a nest, be respectful. Incubating eggs and raising young can be pretty taxing, even for big birds like GHO. The last thing they want is to be disturbed, and the last thing you’d want is to find yourself facing a ticked-off Tiger. Wh-who knows what might happen next!
• Pam Otto is the manager of nature programs and interpretive services for the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at potto@st-charlesparks.org or 630-513-4346.