New Residents in the Canyon: They are a Hoot!

My husband and I like to take walks at a nearby park. In the park is a grove of cottonwood trees in a small canyon where the trail loops around and goes through a tunnel below a busy road. I love the canyon because it is a spot of wilderness on the edge of houses. There are some good hills to climb that overlook the city, and some nice wetlands in the canyon. By far, the highlight of our walk is to check up on the Great Horned Owls. Last summer I lead nature hikes with schoolchildren and families and we always spotted the owls. Last year, there were two parents and two babies. They stuck together as a family while the parents taught the youngsters how to hunt. Around December the parents made the youngsters leave to discover their own territory. Recently new baby owls have been spotted. In fact, three baby owls observed my husband and me closely yesterday afternoon from their nest high in the tree. Nearby, Mom owl stood watch. The baby owls emitted sharp whistles, and Mom hooted now and then. I wish my camera had a good zoom lens, but I borrowed a photo from the internet instead to show you how cute the babies are. Right now the babies have grayish, whitish fluff and bright yellow eyes. They are starting to get their brown and white feathers. It will be fun to see the different stages the owls will go through in order to reach adulthood.