Visit from a Great Horned Owl

Last night--or rather--very early this morning, I had a visit from a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). It was sitting on the lower of the two horizontal branches in this image.

December was the first time I spotted the Great Horned Owl. It was watching me one night from up high in a Black walnut, and called out when I started to approach. According to an article at the PA Game Commission website, “[t]hese owls hoot to stake out territory and as part of the species' mating activity, which in Pennsylvania takes place in December or early January.”

This morning we had a full-view at tree-branch level from an upper window looking out on the Eastern white pine next to the house. Even better, we’d left all our outside lights on last night to watch the snow coming down, so we had a full-color, up-close-and-personal-view of an owl at eye level not two meters from our window. They don’t call it the “Great” Horned Owl for nothing – this is one HUGE, and beautiful owl!

Apparently, I inadvertently lured the owl here with the birdseed I’ve been setting out since the weather turned cold. I like to offer birdseed in winter for the dual benefit of feeding the birds through the cold months, and allowing me to see them all in their many colors from the window where I work.

Of course, the seed attracts more than birds. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and both Red (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and Gray (Sciurus carolinensis) squirrels also make their rounds, and I eagerly visit the window each morning just before dawn to see who is out munching.

About a week ago, I learned of a new visitor – a Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus), (which I first mistook to be a very pretty rat).

The vole, like the birds, is taking advantage of my carefully selected feeding station. Not only is it near the window for me to see, but I have also placed a large piece of Silver maple deadfall (from a summer windstorm) beneath this tree. It’s near our woodpile, and the many naked branches and wood stacks provide protection to the birds from hawks and other predators (it’s important to offer protection when you decide to feed wildlife).

Fortunately, the owl is very patient. I watched for a half hour while the owl quietly observed the vole munching and skittering among the dead limbs on the ground. Eventually, I was drawn away from the window, but I secretly hope that the owl didn’t get its dinner this morning, so I might get the chance to see it again tonight!

I doubt I can get a picture for you without disturbing the owl, but I will try! In lieu of my own images to share...

Paul Beiser has some wonderful pictures of a Great Horned Owl at his website.

Also, over at Mike’s Birding and Digiscoping blog, you can see some serious owl-on-owl whoopass.

Laura's Birder Blog has a gallery of Great Horned Owl pictures from a nature center.

And at Birding in Maine, John and Sharon Briggs share their recent encounter with the Great Horned Owl.

Deck the trees with strings of berries!

After reading the article Decorate Your Tree with Wildlife Ornaments, I was inspired to have some fun with the two Christmas trees we’ve planted in the yard. I spent a quiet day in December stringing fresh cranberries with fresh-popped popcorn. I painted bagels and pinecones (from the Eastern white pines) with peanut butter, and sprinkled them with wild birdseed (black oil sunflower seeds and a wild birdseed mix).

Once I had a big box filled with goodies, I carefully decorated the Blue spruce and the Oriental spruce in the waning afternoon sun. As I took pictures of my crafts, I drooled at the thought of how cool it was going to be to take pictures the next morning of the birds having breakfast in the Christmas trees!

What I found the next morning was nothing short of hilarious. The trees had been completely stripped of their treasures, with a few dejected strings left hanging on the boughs. A lone pinecone, picked clean of seeds, still clung to a low branch. The hemp twine used to suspend the bagel halves were draped limply around the tree tops.

Alas, no birds were merrily dining on a gourmet breakfast. My guess is that somewhere, a raccoon family was sleeping off a very good night!

***

EDIT, FOR THE BIRDS: Trailhead asked about feeding peanut butter to birds in the comments, and I realized that others might be curious too. So here’s a little more information on feeding peanut butter to birds:

Trailhead, I too was uncertain about the peanut butter. I struggled with the “everybody does it” theory. (I also meant to note that after putting out all the treats, I added a large, clean dog food dish filled to the brim with fresh water beneath the tree closest to the thicket).

With regards to the peanut butter, perhaps this will help:

Source: 101 Ways to Help Birds by Laura Erickson
© 2006 Stackpole Books

Chapter 12: Bird Food Recommendations, page. 148

“No. 47: Offer peanut butter and nuts

Peanut butter is nutritious and has a high energy content, so it is often a component of bluebird mixes. The easiest way to offer it is smeared into the crevices of tree bark or stuffed into the holes of hanging log feeders. […] In his book A Complete Guide to Bird Feeding, John V. Dennis reports cases of birds choking on peanut butter. Because of its sticky texture, it can gum up their mouths, so mix peanut butter with a generous amount of cornmeal to make it grittier.”

There are lots more ideas available in Erickson’s 101 Ways to Help Birds - I highly recommend it! I first learned about her book through a review at Bootstrap Analysis: book review: 101 ways to help birds.

For all you birdlovers who want more, more, MORE, Laura Erickson also keeps a blog called the Birder Blog.