WNJ Exclusive: Great Horned Owl nest in Salem County
Adult Great Horned Owl guarding its nest.
Photos by Blake Mathys
By Blake Mathys: My in-laws always hear Great Horned Owls, and this year they were hearing them most evenings. I had seen Great Horned Owl pellets in the pine woods near their house, and knew there had to be a nest there somewhere. They recently saw one of the adults flying into the woods, and I looked closely in that area until I found the nest.
Last weekend, my wife and I went over and found the adult perched about 10 feet from the nest. There was one nestling in view, but the nest was obscured by the trunk of the tree. I went around to the other side of the woods and looked until I found a place I could see through the branches and discovered that there were two nestlings.
They always say that they don't have squirrels around because of the hawks and owls, and in fact they had one squirrel for just a few days this spring; I think it is pretty likely that squirrel became a meal for the young owls. All of the pictures were taken by digiscoping, using a Canon Powershot 8MP camera through my Leica APO Televid 77 scope.
Two owlets in the nest.
Last weekend, my wife and I went over and found the adult perched about 10 feet from the nest. There was one nestling in view, but the nest was obscured by the trunk of the tree. I went around to the other side of the woods and looked until I found a place I could see through the branches and discovered that there were two nestlings.
They always say that they don't have squirrels around because of the hawks and owls, and in fact they had one squirrel for just a few days this spring; I think it is pretty likely that squirrel became a meal for the young owls. All of the pictures were taken by digiscoping, using a Canon Powershot 8MP camera through my Leica APO Televid 77 scope.
Two owlets in the nest.
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Posted by WILDNEWJERSEY at 4/21/2010 6:00 AM 
Categories: WNJ Exclusives, Birds
Tags: salem county squireels great horned owls hawks owl pellets
Categories: WNJ Exclusives, Birds
Tags: salem county squireels great horned owls hawks owl pellets
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