Two nights ago at 3 am (September 1st), I was amazed to hear my local owl’s territorial hooting. Through the clear, calm night air, Poppa Great Horned Owl’s deep booming hoots entered through the open window into our bedroom. Last year I did not hear him till the end of October. In addition to Poppa, I heard half-hearted begging / screeching from one of this year’s owlets. I think the owlet knew the free lunches were pretty much done. If lucky, the youngster might get an occasional free meal. The parent owls are defining their territory in preparation for nesting come mid winter.

This morning I watched crows give Poppa Owl grief for ten minutes. When the crows grew bored and flew away, the owl took a nap. Upon waking up, he looked around to check for pesky crows. Not seeing any of the black birds, the owl flew deeper into its favorite pine grove.

In this pic, he is ruffling his feathers just prior to his stretch and flight. One might ask how I can tell the difference between Poppa and Momma owl. Even though the male is smaller than the female, it has a much deeper hoot sound. In addition, the male owl is shorter and smaller than the female great horned owl.