Owls in the bird bath

A little over a month ago, in late July, I looked out my window one day and saw two large birds sitting in my neighbor's tree. I grabbed my camera and in a very stealthy & ninja-like manner crept out onto my patio to get some photos. I didn't want to scare them off so I kept my distance and got a couple of pictures, which I posted in the Snapshots thread.

My neighbor had previously told me that a few years ago there was a pair of great horned owls nesting in the area and he would see them pretty regularly, but not too much lately. So I was thrilled to look out my window on August 1 and see two great horned owls standing in my bird bath. Once again I grabbed my camera and snuck out onto the patio in an even more ninja-like way.

As it turns out my ninja skills are very effective when the owls are asleep in a tree but less so when the owls are awake and alert. They heard me. They saw me. I got a single out-of-focus shot before one of the owls flew away. The other one stayed in the bird bath so I went back inside and took pictures through my living room window, which I posted in the Snapshots thread.

The owls soon became regulars at the bird bath, usually appearing just as the sun was coming up. They would get a drink of water and freshen up before going off to roost and sleep all day. My bird baths could be the only water source in the neighborhood. They sure get a lot of activity. I've seen over 20 species at my bird baths and another half dozen at the hummingbird feeders or just in the yard.

My brother, who knows a lot more about birds than me, started reading up on great horned owls when they began making daily appearances. We initially thought the owls were a mating pair but my brother developed a new theory, that they were siblings who had hatched earlier this spring. He pointed out that the feathers which form their "horns" or "ears" were not very prominent yet, which is a sign of immaturity. Also they appeared in late July/early August which is when the parents would stop feeding them and basically kick them out of the nest.

Another clue: There are actually three owls, and owls often lay 2-4 eggs at a time. I've only seen all three on two occasions. Once I was watching an owl in each bird bath when I saw a third one on a fence post in the open space behind my house (an ideal hunting ground for owls, with lots of rabbits and mice). When one owl flew off the third one came up to the bird bath.

So we think these three are siblings. One of them (probably the oldest) now has very noticeable "horns" and I'm beginning to recognize their facial markings as well. I call them Archimedes (yes, all 3 of them have the same name) because when they sit in the bird bath it overflows and the whole thing, including the stand, is dripping wet when they're done. And half empty.

This morning they didn't show up, nor yesterday morning. It's about time for them to disperse and find their own territories. I hope at least one of them likes the open space and the bird bath enough to stick around.