[Bristol-Birds] young Great Horned Owl out of nest on Paddle Creek Rd. Sullivan Co.
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:37:53 -0400
Paddle Creek Rd.
Sullivan Co., TN
27 March 2012
Ann Crumley called Tuesday to ask for help with a young owl she found out of
its nest. It was perched on a turned over stump along a fence line at a
neighbor's property. She had found it Saturday or Sunday. It was active and
loudly snapping its bill. When I got there, it was nearly dark and we did not
relocate the owl. It had been there earlier in the day. Every characteristic
of size, shape, color and date, makes it fairly obvious it is a Great Horned
Owl nestling and probably not fledged but maybe a little early from the nest.
The fact it had been out of the nest for two or three days was indication it
was probably being cared for by its mother. Father horned owls do not directly
feed young. The female does not allow the male near the young. Food is
brought to her by the mate and she takes it to the young (usually in the nest).
A search of nearby trees found a large nest in a tall pine tree, near the top,
and directly above where the owlet was seen. A parent bird does not
necessarily stay on the nest when young are this old. While another owlet could
easily be hunkered down in the nest, it is also possible there is no living
sibling. Since eggs are laid several days to a week apart, they hatch in the
same order and one quickly becomes a larger and stronger of the nestlings. At
this age (and particularly if food is scarce) the older may cannibalize the
younger.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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- » [Bristol-Birds] young Great Horned Owl out of nest on Paddle Creek Rd. Sullivan Co. - Wallace Coffey
