Also at Altamaha, was this nesting Great Horned Owl, on an Osprey platform! From a distance we could see the Osprey nesting platform had something on it. We asssumed it was an Osprey. Surprise! When we got closer we saw the two "horns" (really feathers) sticking up, and recognized it as a Great Horned Owl. I photographed ir from a distance with a telephoto lens.Ospreys can build nests in trees, but are also attracted to platforms where they will build their nests. Great Horned Owls do not build their own nests, but reuse the nests of hawks and other large birds. The nesting material may be from last year's Osprey nest, or perhaps, Ospreys started to nest there this year and the Great Horned Owls took over the nest.
4 comments:
What a nice surprise!
I don't know if it's the same one, but a Great Horned was also nesting there 2 years ago. It was on the platform closest to the road.
As Connie said, it was indeed a surprise!
I'm glad you posted this, I've been meaning to ask around if it usually nested there.
I just found your blog today. I'm an avid amateur photographer, and love your blog. Perhaps you'll visit mine! I have hundreds of great bird "shots", a few of which I share on my blog. I'm glad I found yours!
I try so hard to get Owl photos. It's not always so easy to achieve. But a friend alerted me to the whereabouts of a baby Great Horned Owl last May, and I got some great shots of it (of all places, in a cemetery). If you get a minute, check my blog.
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