Yesterday I set out for an afternoon shoot of the Great Horned Owls nesting in Kenosha, WI. I met up with fellow Nature Photographer, James Cowell who informed me that there were three nestlings! I saw two of the great horned owl babies very clearly throughout much of my experience and the third owl rested to the back of the nest.
The Great Horned Owl nest is in the cavity of a dead tree – a perfect home for raising young.
As I awaited, hoping to see more of the three young owls together an incredible turn of events occurred. A loud squawking sound came from a home antenna not far from the nest. The bird making the noise was a peregrine falcon who squawked some more before bolting from his post to do continuous fly – bys at the owl nest. The concerned Great Horned Owl mother swooped into her nest from a nearby tree to protect her three youngsters. The falcon continued to fly by the nest, hover and then head back to his perch on the antennae. This squawking and fly by behavior lasted for more than an hour until the sun set and the falcon quit his pursuit – at least until another day.
The mother Great Horned Owl flew into her nest when the Peregrine Falcon began to fly by and hover near her nest.
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Thanks for sharing this commentary with us. In my 30+ years of birding, I’ve never encountered a reference to Peregrine Falcons harassing owls. This adds great significance to the stunning photos.