Marcus' backyard Hooter

by AnnaJo Vahle

Title

Marcus' backyard Hooter

Artist

AnnaJo Vahle

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

While visiting my son, who lives in Orlando, Florida, our conversation was interrupted by little birds screeching out a warning and flying around in anger. This owl was in the neighborhood. The unfortunate mockingbirds were losing the battle. It was fairly dark beneath the boughs of all the big oak trees. I worried that I didn't have enough light. This owl seemed perfectly at ease watching me take her photograph. She allowed me plenty of time to get my settings right. She seemed just as curious with us as we were with her. Her big dark eyes were mesmerizing. She even chatted with us..."Who cooks for you?", she asked us.
The Barred Owl's nest is often in a tree cavity, often ones created by pileated woodpeckers; it may also take over an old nesting site made previously by a red-shouldered hawk, cooper's hawk, crow, or squirrel. It is a permanent resident, but may wander after the nesting season. If a nest site has proved suitable in the past they will often reuse it as the birds are non-migratory. In the United States, eggs are laid from early-January in southern Florida to mid-April in northern Maine, and consist of 2 to 4 eggs per clutch. Eggs are brooded by the female with hatching taking place approximately 4 weeks later. Young owls fledge four to five weeks after hatching. These owls have few predators, but young, unwary owls may be taken by cats. The most significant predator of Barred Owls is the Great Horned Owl. The Barred Owl has been known to live up to 10 years in the wild and 23 years in captivity.

Uploaded

April 9th, 2012

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