Owls
reprint of an interesting article

by Helen Andrews

Winter seems to have just started and already some owls are thinking spring! Our two large resident owls, the great horned and the barred, are calling. They can be heard evening and early morning. They are already seeking out places to raise their young.

The great horned owl will take a nest used by a crow, hawk or other large bird; they do not make their own. As early as January they lay out one to three eggs that will take 26 to 30 days to hatch. Since incubation starts as soon as the first egg is laid, the chicks hatch out a few days apart. The youngest and smallest one often does not survive because of lack of food. It is 63 to 70 days before the young are ready to fly and be on their own. These owls live in the forest and feed on all kinds of small mammals, small birds and small owls. It takes a lot of food to bring the young to maturity.

The barred owl also lives in the woods but often near a marsh or damp area. They nest in tree cavities and incubate for 28 days and the young are ready to fly in about 42 days. They feed on mice, other small rodents, crayfish and frogs. Mice make up a large part of their diet.

Because it takes so long to fledge the young, these owls only have one brood a year and start as early as February. The robin, on the other had, will have three broods a season and have her young on the wing in less than four weeks.

It is a thrill to hear these big owls calling on a clear winter night.

Wings Over Dutchess, February 2006

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