LesleytheBirdNerd few weeks ago I found a baby robin in the middle of the road and I knew where it’s nest was but it was at the very top of this talll tree, I know there was a nest under my neighbors porch so I put him there, it’s been a few days and I check on him a lot and when ever I come he clicks his beak, begs for food and tries to move to me. But I’m really worried since he is trying to get out of his nest early and tries to jump when he sees me. I’m worried he’s going to get out bc there are tons of cats, raccoons, chipmunks(apparently they eat baby birds 0-0) opossums and foxes, idk what to do AaaA
We have a pair out back in neighbor's tree tonight. I hope they will nest there - many old squirrel nests in the tree which is a HUGE pin oak. I love seeing his silhouette against the moonlit clouds and hearing them call to one another.
I saw a Great Horned Owl once in Kentucky. I went into an old abandoned house and there he was on top of an interior door. I think we both were mightily surprised! I apologised and excused myself and backed out the way I had come. He was magnificent!
Currently in Kentucky listening to two of them have a chat! Had to check RUclips to make sure I was right about the species, and ended up down this rabbit hole😂
I was in Central Park this passed Saturday ,I guess it was February 13 when behind the Bethesda fountain by the frozen boat pond a beautiful great horned owl flew to the top of the trees in the daytime around 4 pm it was magical. Thank you God for our avian friends.
My first experience with a big horned owl was amazing. One winter night a GHO landed on my ranch home directly above the room I was in. Then it started hooting. The sound was so strong it vibrated me! Luckily my house is L shape so could walk to another room and see it on the roof.
I remember the first time I saw an owl-a barred owl. It was at an overnight camp when I was in middle school. We’d go out every night on hikes and would call for owls. It was mid February (I live in Maryland) with snow on the ground and we were sitting in a clearing playing owl calls on our speaker until one flew over our heads back and forth three times. I’ll never forget that night.
Congraulations on your first owl! The Genus Bubo is truly one of the most magnificent groups of birds on this beautiful planet! I have a pair of eurasian eagle owls a couple hundret meters from my house, I have been studying them for 7 years and they never got to breed, until this year where i could finally watch three happy owlets grow up in an old buzzard´s nest.
One night, a great horned owl was about to prey on my cat when he was a kitten. Some idiot dumped him and I could hear him crying from 500 feet down the road, so could the owl. The owl was about 50 feet away sitting on a fence post. Thankfully, I got there in time. Great video! I hear owls all of the time, rarely do I see one during the day. What a treat!
A great horned owl once flew by right in front of me, at face level, with less than 5 feet between us. It's amazing how little noise their wings make, for such a huge bird.
As a kid growing up in Iowa, I saw many great horned owls. It always happened the same way. I would hear a cacophony of angry crow calls, and inevitably there would be an owl hunkered down while a flock of crows cussed it out and dive-bombed it. Great horned owls have a reputation for being the most ferocious predators, pound for pound, of all.
We had owls roosting in our neighbors tree across the alley when we moved in. I used to see them on our phone pole or wire at night. We heard and saw them often. Congratulations on your first sighting! Wonderful footage. Thank you.
Nice footage and good information. Glad you got to see one. We have a barn owl nest across the street and have great horned owls in the area as we can hear the calls at night and had one take a cottontail rabbit off our lawn one night and eat it on our patio wall. They are very majestic and intimidating birds. Thanks for sharing!
We have some in our area. I hear them... This fall I FINALLY actually saw him! It wasn't a close view it was late dusk but we followed his call and spotted him at the top of a tall tree, the silhouette was unmistakable! He definitely saw me too. It was coincidentally my late mom's birthday that day, perfectly auspicious time to see an elusive owl.
I was out driving the other night, and as I drove by the neighborhood park, I heard a loud, incessant screeching noise, which I had heard when leaving, about 30 minutes before. I decided to shine my flashlight up into the trees. I was very surprised to see 2 owls about halfway up a tall palm tree. They looked like Saw Whet Owls, but I don't know if they live in Northern California. I went home and picked up my girlfriend to show her. When we came back, a third owl was returning with something it had caught. Wasn't the first time I'd seen owls, but I pay attention more than most.
you may be able to make a positive id of this bird by remembering its call. The saw whet owl make a toot toot kind of noise. It could have been a screech owl which make a very haunting whinny... like a ghostly horse. You can find good samples of calls on line. The owls all have very distinct calls.
Phenomenal video and pictures. You are a true blessing, thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and time. Have learned so much from your channel. There's a special place in heaven for you. The care, love and devotion you have for God's creatures will not go unrewarded ❤️
Congrats on your first owl! They are special birds. I hope you get to see more! Mobbing birds have led me to owls a few times. Follow your jays and crows!
Great video! Thank you. I live in Middle Ga and every morning when I get to work, 5:45am, it’s quiet and dark. I can hear, in a nearby pine, a Great Horned Owl wooing. Only wish I could see it! 🦉👀
Great video! Earned my sub! I live in southern Ohio and it's not uncommon to hear the GH owls hoo..hoo hoo...hoo at night. I've only ever seen one, maybe 6 times in my 45 years and it's never been a good look. (Although I've never actively searched for one during daylight.) Until tonight that is. While walking the dog one flew about 15 feet above my head and landed atop a short tree. I stood there and watched it until it flew off. I was utterly amazed it's silence and huge wing span. With my flashlight focused on him I even got him to look at me when I attempted to speak his language. I feel thrilled to finally see one. Such amazing creatures.
We had a roosting pair next to our house. That is when we found out they were are war with crows. It is worth a read to learn about them. They are fantastic birds.
As a Wildlife Conservation Officer, I once had to remove a Great Horned Owl from a farmer’s chicken coop. Needless to say I had a fight on my hands getting him into a bag. I released him back into the wild miles away and gained a healthy respect for this magnificent bird.
What a beautiful owl!! I have always been fascinated by birds. Maybe I should start watching and filming. I had an owl in my back yard but never knew what kind it was.
I wish I might get to see an owl someday. We have one around my neighborhood. I hear it from time to time. I think they are beautiful. Thank you so much for your video of that gorgeous owl. 😊
A couple years ago on an early morning walk I heard a great horned owl hooting and followed the sound to a church on the edge of town. He (or she) was sitting at the top of the spire, which was lit by a floodlight. I was thrilled to actually be able to see the owl--usually they're up near the top of a tree in the dark. Another owl was perched maybe 60 yards away, answering the first owl. The date was 21 December, which I believe is about the right time for them to be finding a mate. I've seen GHOs a few other times, but this one was pretty special. In my area it seems more likely to see screech owls since they're often perched closer to the ground.
Great Job Lesley. Watching an owl getting mobbed in the morning by a flock of swallows just waking up ,was a lesson in how nature is so fun observe. All he wanted to do is get to their perch and take a little nap.
These were great photo's and footage. Thanks for capturing them! I grew up in Rural Louisiana and seeing these birds up close, flying over you at night with a wingspan the width of your car sure sparked the imagination. Fascinating video!
There is one of these GHOs outside hooting right now. I hear it at least daily but rarely get a view other than to watch it fly away. The most amazing thing is how perfectly silent such a big bird can fly.
Great video. The video quality of the owl was beautiful. I have a pair that I hear at night calling to each other when I walk my dog around midnight. Have tried to search them out for the last 3 years during the day with no luck. So tickled you were able to share this with us.
You must have been quite ecstatic with excitement when you saw your first owl Lesley. How exciting and thanks for sharing with us. Great video and photos. Love Great Horned Owls. Happy Birding!
Fantastic video. Interesting facts. Once many years ago I was driving on a back road behind a country airport and there was a great horned owl eating a mouse in the middle of the road in broad daylight. I was in a Mustang and the owl stood up to the hood of my car. I stopped right in front of him, he grabbed his prey, and flew off. Awesome experience! Glad you got to see one, too!
I heard one a couple of weeks ago , so I played a recording. It came swooping over me half a dozen times. I was illuminating him with a flashlight as he flew over me. Finally he perched in a nearby tree, so I illuminated him again and had family come out and look. What a spectacular bird! Twice as tall as any specimen I have ever seen in a museum. I had my fun for one night, haven’t interrupted their livelihood since. Another GHO also came around. A few nights ago, both a male and female were hooting like mad in the hemlock next to my bedroom at 4:30 AM. Never seen them in the day
Great video. I have had multiple profound experiences with GHO's and I am not a birder. I even held one once when I did a bird of prey internship at a local rehabilitation center. I am glad you got to see one. They are majestic.
@@LesleytheBirdNerd HEAVY! and this beautiful girl was missing a wing. Plus she was SO sweet. It's actually surreal when I look back at the interaction's I've had with GHO's . I wouldn't have thought about it without your video so thanks. But I'm still jealous of you and your blue jays!!!!!!!
@@MidwestBriar Awww! I bet she was sweet. I know what you mean about it being surreal when you look back because that's exactly I feel about my encounter with one a few days ago. Amazing!
I live in a rural area in Northeastern. Pennsylvania. These owls are quite common here and I have enjoyed there nightly calls in winter. I have seen them Many times and watched one try to catch bats!! Love your videos. Found them by accident. You are doing what you were born to do!! Keep up the great work!! Prayers
I recently got back into birding. I had a great first outing adding a couple birds to my newly growing life list. Oyster catcher being my favorite spot. Purple Martin came in second. This outing was along a shore and inlet. The next week I went to some woodlands. My first spot was a Cedar Wax Wing just before entering the forest. Time to head back after two hours I neared a murder of Crows. A Great Horned Owl was cursing up a pine. After a couple minutes the Owl lighted to another tree. It had been about 30 years since seeing a Great Horned Owl. I left the woods so contented. Thanks for all your videos🪶
Noticed a Great Horned Owl in 2004 when I moved here and have photos of them to this day right behind my home. They seem to come by and visit...LOL! What a beautiful interesting bird.
One morning before sun-rise while walking close to my home, an owl flew over my head by just a few feet. I could see him by street-light & was struct by the fact that although he was flapping his wings - there was ' no sound ! ' I enjoy your informative & entertaining vids .
As an English birder I have to admit I was surprised when you said this was your first owl. Tawny and barn owls are relatively common here, though you’re much more likely to hear them rather than see them unless you know where to look. Another great video, hopefully you will see them more often now.
When the cat lady left along with her cats the chipmunk, rabbit, and squirrels came back so followed the owls. Their wingspan is impressive along with the near silent flight. I have a resident for 2yrs now.
I walk through the woods here in central NJ all the time but yesterday I saw my 1’st Great Horned Owl 🦉. He was large and very impressive!!! I watched him about 15 minutes before leaving him. There were a few squirrels 🐿 foraging nearby and I gave them a verbal warning that Death 💀 was very close by.....
Thats great video in my book, its rare to get such a good look at these guys. Was up at the cabin yesterday but was not able to spend the night so I missed the evening calls they make. Maybe next trip I will be lucky enough to sit on the deck during evening hours and get to hear these amazing birds.
I see great horned owls in my neighborhood all the time (exaggeration, but they are fairly easy to find), the best time to see them is usually at sunset, when they are active and making their territorial calls, but you still have daylight to help you spot them. I love these birds; thanks for the video.
A few months ago on a well moonlit night I happened to look out the window and saw one on my shed roof, probably after the rodents around the bird feeder. Great stuff Nerd 👍👍👍😃
Oh my gosh! I absolutely love your channel and all of your videos, and this was exactly what I needed to see today! Yesterday morning I was able to get a few really great photos of a GHO in my next door neighbors tree. I wouldn't have seen it at all if not for the Magpies harassing it! And now I know why they were! I've been able to listen to the owls late at night all winter long but it wasn't until this spring that I was able to actually see and get photos of them!
I've only ever seen one of these incredible birds myself many years ago up in the Blue Ridge Mountains near my hometown. I was out in remote woods and rounded a turn to see this thing perched about 100 feet off the ground and immediately had an OMG minute. This huge bird without a head standing over 2 feet tall. lol When I realized what it was I was shocked to see an owl so large! It dropped out in the opposite direction with a wingspan of easily 5 feet wide! Just wow! lol
I helped rescue a trapped owl some years ago. From a distance they dont seem intimidating but close up those talons are a force. When he flew away it was a magnificent bird.
Hi- My daughter and I are learning wildlife photography together and are turning into bird nerds. You do such a great job with your videos and we really enjoy watching and learn lots from them. Thank you and keep making more. Congrats on seeing the owl, very cool !!!!
Thank you for the wonderful video! I just saw my first parliament of 5 GHO in the wild yesterday and today, and it was such a thrill. The excitement and passion you have shines through in your video, look forward to watching more soon!
Lived in my house 20 years. Nightly serenade of hoots back and forth from a pair drove my dog crazy. Occasionally have seen them hunting. HUGE wingspan. The screeching can be unnerving if you are walking a small dog lol. Walked to grocery store one night and he was on a tree near the store. Saw him near the house on way back. Construction happened nearby and then they were gone. Been a year and finally heard them again last week.
A great horned owl comes to my yard every year in Calgary. If he sits still he looks like a wasp nest or bee hive. A few years ago there were huge and fluffy chicks in a nearby park. They caused quite a bit of excitement in the park... as they were extremely loud... waiting for food I imagine. Screaming for food is more like it!
Your video makes me all the more grateful to be living in far eastern Washington state. I cannot remember when seeing my first great-horned owl - 8 or 9? Nor could I count how many times over the last 50 years. People see them while driving the edges of town, hiking, skiing and so on. Hmm, my first barn owls at age 19; and much later five youngsters on a ledge of a freeway overpass. Also burrowing; short-eared (including male display flight); great gray once, and unforgettable; saw-whet at least a dozen times; long-eared several times. Snowy owl at least three times in winter, and a surprise encounter with Spotted owl at Los Banos wildlife refuge (California) miles from its normal habitat and probably exhausted when finding some conifers by the maintenance buildings, circa 1990. BTW, an owl can swing its head around so fast to track the movement of what it's watching, it seems to turn its head around beyond 360°. Thank you for posting.
Eight years on the watch...makes me thankful to live in the semi-arid west. I no longer remember first seeing a GHO, having seen them scores of times in my long life. Barn owls, too, & burrowing, short eared (mating display once!), long-eared, saw-whet, Northern Pygmy, but only one Great Gray. Glad you saw your bird!
Incredibly interesting! I'm glad you finally got to see one. My uncle once found a wounded owl, I don't remember what kind, and it stayed in his barn until it recovered. I was so sad when it left! Thanks for a great video!
Congratulations- What a great find!! A very intimidating bird! I haven't seen one in years- at that time it was flying down the road at night in my headlights. It had a snowshoe hare in its talons! Thanks for posting this memorable event and the fun facts. Take care!
You said it, intimidating! I was so amazed at that owl! That's neat how you saw one before with prey in its talons. Man those talons are huge too. I couldn't get over the size, would not want to be attacked by one of them. Thanks for the nice comment, glad you enjoyed the video :)
LesleytheBirdNerd Did the birds tip you off to the presence of the owl via alarm calls, or did you happen to notice it as you walked along? I recall the jays letting you know that a goshawk was in the neighborhood... :^D
LesleytheBirdNerd Excellent! Good birds! I have to say that the stills you took are haunting- particularly the ones where the owl is staring right at you. I hope you will add that print to your Etsy shop!
We're supposed to have great-horned owls here in Georgia, but I've never seen or heard one. Plenty of barred owls though, plus I've seen a few barn owls and screech owls. -- Great video!
wow, i didn't know it was so rare to see one of these. ive seen about 3 or 4 around here in my lifetime. once it was on a chimney under a full moon and it just watched us as we walked by..
I hear a pair of these calling to each other almost every evening, it's a wonderful sound. A few months ago I was getting out of my car around dusk and something huge came down out of the trees, circled and then hovered about six feet in front of me for probably about ten seconds before flying away again. Like he was just saying hey, hi, who are you? It was the first time I've seen a great horned owl close up and was such an amazing encounter.
I am watching your video having just seen a juvenile Barred Owl in its cypress swamp home. Most of its Its adult feathers had grown in, but its head was still a layer of scruffy, downy feathers. It is so amazing that it took you 8 years to see an owl! Worth the wait though! I had seen Great Horned, Barred, and Eastern Screech-owl (grey) within my first two years of birding (living near a national forest helps, probably). Great video. Owls are, by far, my favorite raptors. Regarding smaller birds mobbing GHOW, once in my back yard, I followed the sound of agitated robins and found a GHOW in top of a loblolly pine. Looking in closer, I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird taking dives on the owl! No fear in those tiny birds!
Lesley, I'm over to the west in Traverse City, Michigan in the northwest corner of the Lower Peninsula. Last fall I watched what I believe was a Northern Hawk Owl swoop in and land in one of my cedar trees. It was amazing to watch the doves and squirrels on the ground just scatter and disappear! And then the blue jays mainly and an occasional crow started harassing it. Just like your owl they seem to eventually tire of the harassment and realize their stealthy cover has been blown, so decide to fly elsewhere. Thank you for the wonderful videos! Happy new year in 2021!
Merch availabe🙂 👉 teespring.com/stores/lesleythebirdnerd
LesleytheBirdNerd few weeks ago I found a baby robin in the middle of the road and I knew where it’s nest was but it was at the very top of this talll tree,
I know there was a nest under my neighbors porch so I put him there, it’s been a few days and I check on him a lot and when ever I come he clicks his beak, begs for food and tries to move to me. But I’m really worried since he is trying to get out of his nest early and tries to jump when he sees me. I’m worried he’s going to get out bc there are tons of cats, raccoons, chipmunks(apparently they eat baby birds 0-0) opossums and foxes, idk what to do AaaA
@@silvean7215 I love your content, keep up the great work! Birds are much more beautiful than people recognize
We have a pair out back in neighbor's tree tonight. I hope they will nest there - many old squirrel nests in the tree which is a HUGE pin oak. I love seeing his silhouette against the moonlit clouds and hearing them call to one another.
Wait they eat owls ??
@@lulubelljimenez1797 pretty much anything is on the menu if it is small enough.
I saw a Great Horned Owl once in Kentucky. I went into an old abandoned house and there he was on top of an interior door. I think we both were mightily surprised! I apologised and excused myself and backed out the way I had come. He was magnificent!
WindHorse4sTraveler that means that the house had ghosts
@@yallfw.dd224 I don't doubt it.. It was a very old house from the 1800s.
WindHorse4sTraveler oh. Well I did a project about them and it said if they are in an abandoned house I could mean it was haunted
Currently in Kentucky listening to two of them have a chat! Had to check RUclips to make sure I was right about the species, and ended up down this rabbit hole😂
@@yallfw.dd224 ha
I was in Central Park this passed Saturday ,I guess it was February 13 when behind the Bethesda fountain by the frozen boat pond a beautiful great horned owl flew to the top of the trees in the daytime around 4 pm it was magical. Thank you God for our avian friends.
My first experience with a big horned owl was amazing. One winter night a GHO landed on my ranch home directly above the room I was in. Then it started hooting. The sound was so strong it vibrated me! Luckily my house is L shape so could walk to another room and see it on the roof.
Awesome! So majestic. Congratulations on finally spotting one!
I remember the first time I saw an owl-a barred owl. It was at an overnight camp when I was in middle school. We’d go out every night on hikes and would call for owls. It was mid February (I live in Maryland) with snow on the ground and we were sitting in a clearing playing owl calls on our speaker until one flew over our heads back and forth three times. I’ll never forget that night.
Congraulations on your first owl!
The Genus Bubo is truly one of the most magnificent groups of birds on this beautiful planet!
I have a pair of eurasian eagle owls a couple hundret meters from my house, I have been studying them for 7 years and they never got to breed, until this year where i could finally watch three happy owlets grow up in an old buzzard´s nest.
Marvelous! Thank you! We get to hear barred owls in our woods almost daily. We love their sounds!
Lesley my friend, you always put out a great video! Thank you for all your time and effort!!!
One night, a great horned owl was about to prey on my cat when he was a kitten. Some idiot dumped him and I could hear him crying from 500 feet down the road, so could the owl. The owl was about 50 feet away sitting on a fence post. Thankfully, I got there in time.
Great video! I hear owls all of the time, rarely do I see one during the day. What a treat!
@@michellewilcox7175 he's a great cat and vocal.😀
Please keep your cats inside. They are the second largest reason birds are disappearing from the planet. Thanks 😊
@@gertrudewest4535 "Sufferin' succotash!"
@@gertrudewest4535 This is a heartbreaking fact and it happens not only with feral felines, but cat's who are let to roam.
We have a Great Horned Owl around in our woods, I've heard him at night. Never seen him/her yet. Thanks for the cool 'fun' facts and awesome video.
Sam Iam Do they remind you of a dog barking only different
Very interesting. Great photos of the grouchy looking owl .
Worth waiting for! GHO's are R.S.V.P. only. Hear him hoot, rarely seen!!! Awesome vid!!!
A great horned owl once flew by right in front of me, at face level, with less than 5 feet between us. It's amazing how little noise their wings make, for such a huge bird.
When I am sad, I watch your videos, then I feel better. Keep watching for those birds! Thank you.
This is awesome. My dad used to call Barred Owls into the walnut tree in front of our house when I was a kid. One of my favorite early memories.
As a kid growing up in Iowa, I saw many great horned owls. It always happened the same way. I would hear a cacophony of angry crow calls, and inevitably there would be an owl hunkered down while a flock of crows cussed it out and dive-bombed it. Great horned owls have a reputation for being the most ferocious predators, pound for pound, of all.
Same
Great Horned Owls are known as the tigers of the sky, and for good reason.
We had owls roosting in our neighbors tree across the alley when we moved in. I used to see them on our phone pole or wire at night. We heard and saw them often. Congratulations on your first sighting! Wonderful footage. Thank you.
Nice footage and good information. Glad you got to see one. We have a barn owl nest across the street and have great horned owls in the area as we can hear the calls at night and had one take a cottontail rabbit off our lawn one night and eat it on our patio wall. They are very majestic and intimidating birds. Thanks for sharing!
Ive seen barred owls in my neck of the woods,but that is a magnificent bird.
We have some in our area. I hear them... This fall I FINALLY actually saw him! It wasn't a close view it was late dusk but we followed his call and spotted him at the top of a tall tree, the silhouette was unmistakable! He definitely saw me too. It was coincidentally my late mom's birthday that day, perfectly auspicious time to see an elusive owl.
I was out driving the other night, and as I drove by the neighborhood park, I heard a loud, incessant screeching noise, which I had heard when leaving, about 30 minutes before. I decided to shine my flashlight up into the trees. I was very surprised to see 2 owls about halfway up a tall palm tree. They looked like Saw Whet Owls, but I don't know if they live in Northern California. I went home and picked up my girlfriend to show her. When we came back, a third owl was returning with something it had caught. Wasn't the first time I'd seen owls, but I pay attention more than most.
you may be able to make a positive id of this bird by remembering its call. The saw whet owl make a toot toot kind of noise. It could have been a screech owl which make a very haunting whinny... like a ghostly horse. You can find good samples of calls on line. The owls all have very distinct calls.
Thank you for this very informative video! What awesome photos of this beautiful bird! Hoping you feel better🤗
Phenomenal video and pictures. You are a true blessing, thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and time. Have learned so much from your channel. There's a special place in heaven for you. The care, love and devotion you have for God's creatures will not go unrewarded ❤️
♥️🐦 thank you so much
Congrats on your first owl! They are special birds. I hope you get to see more! Mobbing birds have led me to owls a few times. Follow your jays and crows!
Yup. Me too.
Great video! Thank you. I live in Middle Ga and every morning when I get to work, 5:45am, it’s quiet and dark. I can hear, in a nearby pine, a Great Horned Owl wooing. Only wish I could see it! 🦉👀
Another fact: if u listen more accurate u can sometimes hear them shouting:
HEY HEY HEY
or
AGHAAASHI
xD
OMG THE HAIKYUU REFERENCE 😭✨ after become bokuaka shipper suddenly i am owl lover😌
Great video! Earned my sub!
I live in southern Ohio and it's not uncommon to hear the GH owls hoo..hoo hoo...hoo at night.
I've only ever seen one, maybe 6 times in my 45 years and it's never been a good look. (Although I've never actively searched for one during daylight.)
Until tonight that is. While walking the dog one flew about 15 feet above my head and landed atop a short tree. I stood there and watched it until it flew off. I was utterly amazed it's silence and huge wing span. With my flashlight focused on him I even got him to look at me when I attempted to speak his language.
I feel thrilled to finally see one.
Such amazing creatures.
We had a roosting pair next to our house. That is when we found out they were are war with crows. It is worth a read to learn about them. They are fantastic birds.
Congratulations on meeting this beauty!!
As a Wildlife Conservation Officer, I once had to remove a Great Horned Owl from a farmer’s chicken coop. Needless to say I had a fight on my hands getting him into a bag. I released him back into the wild miles away and gained a healthy respect for this magnificent bird.
What a beautiful owl!! I have always been fascinated by birds. Maybe I should start watching and filming. I had an owl in my back yard but never knew what kind it was.
I wish I might get to see an owl someday. We have one around my neighborhood. I hear it from time to time. I think they are beautiful. Thank you so much for your video of that gorgeous owl. 😊
A couple years ago on an early morning walk I heard a great horned owl hooting and followed the sound to a church on the edge of town. He (or she) was sitting at the top of the spire, which was lit by a floodlight. I was thrilled to actually be able to see the owl--usually they're up near the top of a tree in the dark. Another owl was perched maybe 60 yards away, answering the first owl. The date was 21 December, which I believe is about the right time for them to be finding a mate. I've seen GHOs a few other times, but this one was pretty special. In my area it seems more likely to see screech owls since they're often perched closer to the ground.
I am a bird nerd too and my spirit animal is a great horned owl
I grew up in central Texas, these have been my favorite since I was a kid!
Great Job Lesley. Watching an owl getting mobbed in the morning by a flock of swallows just waking up ,was a lesson in how nature is so fun observe. All he wanted to do is get to their perch and take a little nap.
These were great photo's and footage. Thanks for capturing them! I grew up in Rural Louisiana and seeing these birds up close, flying over you at night with a wingspan the width of your car sure sparked the imagination. Fascinating video!
There is one of these GHOs outside hooting right now. I hear it at least daily but rarely get a view other than to watch it fly away. The most amazing thing is how perfectly silent such a big bird can fly.
Congratulations on seeing your first owl!!
Great video. The video quality of the owl was beautiful. I have a pair that I hear at night calling to each other when I walk my dog around midnight. Have tried to search them out for the last 3 years during the day with no luck. So tickled you were able to share this with us.
That is so cool, I would love to hear one. Thanks for the nice comment, glad you enjoyed :)
Last night I couldn't sleep much but as i was laying in bed with the window open I was listening to an owl hooting. It's pretty neat to hear...
1:45 am and I am in the same situation. Going to log off and count calls. Hope it works like counting sheep. BTW my guy is a great horned owl 🦉
You must have been quite ecstatic with excitement when you saw your first owl Lesley. How exciting and thanks for sharing with us. Great video and photos. Love Great Horned Owls. Happy Birding!
I was in complete awe. It was so surreal to me. Beautiful bird 🙂 thanks for the nice comment
Fantastic video. Interesting facts. Once many years ago I was driving on a back road behind a country airport and there was a great horned owl eating a mouse in the middle of the road in broad daylight. I was in a Mustang and the owl stood up to the hood of my car. I stopped right in front of him, he grabbed his prey, and flew off. Awesome experience! Glad you got to see one, too!
What a cool experience. I'm so glad he found lunch :)
I heard one a couple of weeks ago , so I played a recording. It came swooping over me half a dozen times. I was illuminating him with a flashlight as he flew over me. Finally he perched in a nearby tree, so I illuminated him again and had family come out and look. What a spectacular bird! Twice as tall as any specimen I have ever seen in a museum. I had my fun for one night, haven’t interrupted their livelihood since. Another GHO also came around. A few nights ago, both a male and female were hooting like mad in the hemlock next to my bedroom at 4:30 AM. Never seen them in the day
A Great Horned Owl just arrived in our backyard!! So exciting! Thank you for your video here!
I know it’s always a pleasure to see an owl. Great footage and congrats
Great video. I have had multiple profound experiences with GHO's and I am not a birder. I even held one once when I did a bird of prey internship at a local rehabilitation center. I am glad you got to see one. They are majestic.
Aww wow, that's awesome! Lucky you. For its size was lighter than you expected? Or was it really heavy?
@@LesleytheBirdNerd HEAVY! and this beautiful girl was missing a wing. Plus she was SO sweet. It's actually surreal when I look back at the interaction's I've had with GHO's . I wouldn't have thought about it without your video so thanks. But I'm still jealous of you and your blue jays!!!!!!!
@@MidwestBriar Awww! I bet she was sweet. I know what you mean about it being surreal when you look back because that's exactly I feel about my encounter with one a few days ago. Amazing!
How awesome Lesley! I only get to see our owls when it's the middle of the night. They perch on top of our street light and hoot 😊
I live in a rural area in Northeastern. Pennsylvania. These owls are quite common here and I have enjoyed there nightly calls in winter. I have seen them Many times and watched one try to catch bats!! Love your videos. Found them by accident. You are doing what you were born to do!! Keep up the great work!! Prayers
I saw one up on my roof! What a beautiful bird.
That blue jay 😂
I recently got back into birding. I had a great first outing adding a couple birds to my newly growing life list. Oyster catcher being my favorite spot. Purple Martin came in second. This outing was along a shore and inlet. The next week I went to some woodlands. My first spot was a Cedar Wax Wing just before entering the forest. Time to head back after two hours I neared a murder of Crows. A Great Horned Owl was cursing up a pine. After a couple minutes the Owl lighted to another tree. It had been about 30 years since seeing a Great Horned Owl. I left the woods so contented. Thanks for all your videos🪶
Noticed a Great Horned Owl in 2004 when I moved here and have photos of them to this day right behind my home. They seem to come by and visit...LOL! What a beautiful interesting bird.
I have a baby horn owl living in my yard right now, just found him Saturday. He is beautiful
One morning before sun-rise while walking close to my home, an owl flew over my head by just a few feet. I could see him by street-light & was struct by the fact that although he was flapping his wings - there was ' no sound ! ' I enjoy your informative & entertaining vids .
I know that was one of the things I noticed right away when it took flight. No sound. Amazing
That is so BA
That is a great blessing. I love to see and hear them. ❤🇺🇸🙏🦉😎👍🇸🇻
Thank you for sharing! There is a pair of these owls that come into my yard nightly every February. Their call alone is worth having them around.
As an English birder I have to admit I was surprised when you said this was your first owl. Tawny and barn owls are relatively common here, though you’re much more likely to hear them rather than see them unless you know where to look. Another great video, hopefully you will see them more often now.
When the cat lady left along with her cats the chipmunk, rabbit, and squirrels came back so followed the owls. Their wingspan is impressive along with the near silent flight. I have a resident for 2yrs now.
This was very informative. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
I walk through the woods here in central NJ all the time but yesterday I saw my 1’st Great Horned Owl 🦉. He was large and very impressive!!! I watched him about 15 minutes before leaving him. There were a few squirrels 🐿 foraging nearby and I gave them a verbal warning that Death 💀 was very close by.....
Thats great video in my book, its rare to get such a good look at these guys. Was up at the cabin yesterday but was not able to spend the night so I missed the evening calls they make. Maybe next trip I will be lucky enough to sit on the deck during evening hours and get to hear these amazing birds.
I see great horned owls in my neighborhood all the time (exaggeration, but they are fairly easy to find), the best time to see them is usually at sunset, when they are active and making their territorial calls, but you still have daylight to help you spot them. I love these birds; thanks for the video.
A few months ago on a well moonlit night I happened to look out the window and saw one on my shed roof, probably after the rodents around the bird feeder. Great stuff Nerd 👍👍👍😃
I'm glad your percerverance paid off. My 1st intro to the GHO. Great in so many ways. Thank you.
We Lesleys find the most amazing beauty in this world 💞🦉
We have a pair at the ranch, they are my favorite animal. I read somewhere that the great horned owl chooses a mate and they mate for life.
Oh my gosh! I absolutely love your channel and all of your videos, and this was exactly what I needed to see today! Yesterday morning I was able to get a few really great photos of a GHO in my next door neighbors tree. I wouldn't have seen it at all if not for the Magpies harassing it! And now I know why they were! I've been able to listen to the owls late at night all winter long but it wasn't until this spring that I was able to actually see and get photos of them!
Awesome! I bet you loved getting to see it. Such a big bird isn't it?!
It’s a very big bird! They’re wonderful!
I've only ever seen one of these incredible birds myself many years ago up in the Blue Ridge Mountains near my hometown. I was out in remote woods and rounded a turn to see this thing perched about 100 feet off the ground and immediately had an OMG minute. This huge bird without a head standing over 2 feet tall. lol When I realized what it was I was shocked to see an owl so large! It dropped out in the opposite direction with a wingspan of easily 5 feet wide! Just wow! lol
I helped rescue a trapped owl some years ago. From a distance they dont seem intimidating but close up those talons are a force. When he flew away it was a magnificent bird.
That's awesome that you helped an owl before. And yes, those talons are crazy. Incredible owl.
One thousand pounds of pressure per sq inch, a mighty strong grip! Owls are awesome!
You have a great narrator voice and your timing is spot on. Thanks for these great videos!
Such a magnificent bird
Hi- My daughter and I are learning wildlife photography together and are turning into bird nerds. You do such a great job with your videos and we really enjoy watching and learn lots from them. Thank you and keep making more. Congrats on seeing the owl, very cool !!!!
^ Thank you both for turning me into a bird nerd, lol!
Love the Ocarina of Time reference!! 😊😊 Love your channel - thanks for all you do!
Thank you for the wonderful video! I just saw my first parliament of 5 GHO in the wild yesterday and today, and it was such a thrill. The excitement and passion you have shines through in your video, look forward to watching more soon!
Lived in my house 20 years. Nightly serenade of hoots back and forth from a pair drove my dog crazy. Occasionally have seen them hunting. HUGE wingspan. The screeching can be unnerving if you are walking a small dog lol. Walked to grocery store one night and he was on a tree near the store. Saw him near the house on way back. Construction happened nearby and then they were gone. Been a year and finally heard them again last week.
A great horned owl comes to my yard every year in Calgary. If he sits still he looks like a wasp nest or bee hive. A few years ago there were huge and fluffy chicks in a nearby park. They caused quite a bit of excitement in the park... as they were extremely loud... waiting for food I imagine. Screaming for food is more like it!
Sounds like my grandkids. 😆
Wonderful video Lesley! Very informative and beautiful footage of your GHO. I loved it!
Your video makes me all the more grateful to be living in far eastern Washington state. I cannot remember when seeing my first great-horned owl - 8 or 9? Nor could I count how many times over the last 50 years. People see them while driving the edges of town, hiking, skiing and so on. Hmm, my first barn owls at age 19; and much later five youngsters on a ledge of a freeway overpass. Also burrowing; short-eared (including male display flight); great gray once, and unforgettable; saw-whet at least a dozen times; long-eared several times. Snowy owl at least three times in winter, and a surprise encounter with Spotted owl at Los Banos wildlife refuge (California) miles from its normal habitat and probably exhausted when finding some conifers by the maintenance buildings, circa 1990. BTW, an owl can swing its head around so fast to track the movement of what it's watching, it seems to turn its head around beyond 360°. Thank you for posting.
Eight years on the watch...makes me thankful to live in the semi-arid west. I no longer remember first seeing a GHO, having seen them scores of times in my long life. Barn owls, too, & burrowing, short eared (mating display once!), long-eared, saw-whet, Northern Pygmy, but only one Great Gray. Glad you saw your bird!
Thats awesome you got to see so many. Owls are so scarce in my area, I need to go on a road trip soon.
Incredibly interesting! I'm glad you finally got to see one. My uncle once found a wounded owl, I don't remember what kind, and it stayed in his barn until it recovered. I was so sad when it left! Thanks for a great video!
Congratulations- What a great find!! A very intimidating bird! I haven't seen one in years- at that time it was flying down the road at night in my headlights. It had a snowshoe hare in its talons! Thanks for posting this memorable event and the fun facts. Take care!
You said it, intimidating! I was so amazed at that owl! That's neat how you saw one before with prey in its talons. Man those talons are huge too. I couldn't get over the size, would not want to be attacked by one of them. Thanks for the nice comment, glad you enjoyed the video :)
LesleytheBirdNerd Did the birds tip you off to the presence of the owl via alarm calls, or did you happen to notice it as you walked along? I recall the jays letting you know that a goshawk was in the neighborhood... :^D
@@toddberg3892 the crows incessant alarm calling led me to the magnificent owl. They were rewarded with peanuts and leftover supper for that one 😁
LesleytheBirdNerd Excellent! Good birds! I have to say that the stills you took are haunting- particularly the ones where the owl is staring right at you. I hope you will add that print to your Etsy shop!
Glad to see this! You answered a lot of questions for me. Thank you.
I love owls too. My favorite raptors. Wonderful video
Thank you, Lesley. And well done for seeing your first owl!
We're supposed to have great-horned owls here in Georgia, but I've never seen or heard one. Plenty of barred owls though, plus I've seen a few barn owls and screech owls. -- Great video!
I can see why it’s taken you so long to spot one; their plumage matches the bark perfectly.
Thank you! Owls are my favorite!
wow, i didn't know it was so rare to see one of these. ive seen about 3 or 4 around here in my lifetime. once it was on a chimney under a full moon and it just watched us as we walked by..
Thank you Leslie.
I hear a pair of these calling to each other almost every evening, it's a wonderful sound.
A few months ago I was getting out of my car around dusk and something huge came down out of the trees, circled and then hovered about six feet in front of me for probably about ten seconds before flying away again. Like he was just saying hey, hi, who are you? It was the first time I've seen a great horned owl close up and was such an amazing encounter.
Awesome footage! Thanks for the info.
Awesome video again Leslie! Thank you for all the great information on this magnificent bird.🙏😊
I am watching your video having just seen a juvenile Barred Owl in its cypress swamp home. Most of its Its adult feathers had grown in, but its head was still a layer of scruffy, downy feathers. It is so amazing that it took you 8 years to see an owl! Worth the wait though! I had seen Great Horned, Barred, and Eastern Screech-owl (grey) within my first two years of birding (living near a national forest helps, probably). Great video. Owls are, by far, my favorite raptors.
Regarding smaller birds mobbing GHOW, once in my back yard, I followed the sound of agitated robins and found a GHOW in top of a loblolly pine. Looking in closer, I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird taking dives on the owl! No fear in those tiny birds!
Thank you, Leslie!
Nice catch/Find on the owl! Thank you for sharing your experience and facts :)
Great photos and story!
Majestic! Incredible footage and description!
Lesley,
I'm over to the west in Traverse City, Michigan in the northwest corner of the Lower Peninsula.
Last fall I watched what I believe was a Northern Hawk Owl swoop in and land in one of my cedar trees. It was amazing to watch the doves and squirrels on the ground just scatter and disappear! And then the blue jays mainly and an occasional crow started harassing it. Just like your owl they seem to eventually tire of the harassment and realize their stealthy cover has been blown, so decide to fly elsewhere.
Thank you for the wonderful videos! Happy new year in 2021!