From Jen Marie
A rare combination from years ago. Great horned owls don’t build their own nests; instead, they use a nest that another bird has previously built or a tree cavity. In this case, the owl used a great blue heron nest, and this baby was the last to fledge.
Wow, what an amazing scene.
These are the types of shots where I do a bunch of checking before I post because I can hardly believe something is so spectacular. It’s a big part of the reason I like sharing these photos with you all every day. Despite all us pesky humans are up to, the animals are still out there doing all the wild and crazy stuff most of us would never get to see.
I tried to find her older photo to see if there was more info but didn’t come across it.
I did find this other photo that was very impressive. Not sure if it’s the same spot or not.
From Jeremiah Gadsby
I see the same tree branch shapes between the 2 photos on the right and left sides of the owl. So it looks like the same spot to me!
If the photos I found were all from the same location, this would be in Franklin County, PA, the northwest corner of the state, nearish to Lake Erie. That would have the owls moving in around Jan-Feb, while the Herons would be there around Feb-Mar, and just now, checking the post date of this photo, it was Apr 11, 2022, so they probably both got there around the same time in Feb.
😄
Owlementary, Watson!
👏 well done!
I try to keep you all entertained however I can. 😊
Did the heron raise the owl? Or did the owl parents just move in next to it
I tried searching for more details, but didn’t really come across much. Just shared another great photo, possibly the same pair of nests, with more inhabitants.
After reading a few threads posted by a few photographers, they all just said it was a huge surprise, but nobody noted any violence one way or the other. The herons are quite dangerous in their own ways.
Without knowing where this was, I don’t even know if I could figure out which bird moved in first and which one said “this is fine” and moved in despite the other being there.
