Great Horned Owl

One evening I visited Winding Waters Natural Area and shortly after starting my walk, I heard a screeching sound. I could tell it was a bird but I had no idea what kind of bird. I slowly walked down the trail trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Then across the water, I could see a Great Horned Owl sitting in a palm tree. I took a couple photos from a distance and then began trying to edge closer and closer. As it turns out, the owl really didn’t mind me getting close and I ended up with some rather nice photos…

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the Great Horned Owl is one of the owls that does indeed make the typical “who who who” call people associate with owls, but this screeching call can be used for a number of reasons – one of which is as a food begging call of a juvenile (though this one looks fairly mature). But here is a short clip of what it sounded like…