Schiess: Great Horned Owl dating life heats up

The night blanket of darkness was just being pulled from the eastern sky last week as I was heading up Ririe Reservoir for a day of ice fishing. About halfway to my destination I heard the first hooting of a Great-horned owl on the west side; then one started on the east side and a third started up on the west.

“A trio of love sick birds,” I thought as I continued pulling my sled toward the last hooter. February, lover’s month, is not only for humanoids but also part of the animal kingdom.

Just before sunrise, as the morning light increased I located the two owls on the west side as one flew over to join the other one. Whether this was a first date or the engagement ceremony I do not know – but soon they were cuddling together on a leafless branch. Two days later they were still together while across the reservoir a lone singer continued it’s mournful laments.

Some Great Horned owls pair up as early as December with February and March being the time when they select an old hawk or magpie nests to raise their family in. They do not build their own nest, but usually flatten out old nests and start nesting by the end of March. Spring snows often will cover a sitting female as she protects the nest from the cold.

Once a female starts sitting on the eggs the workload of the male doubles as he will supply her with food. For over a month the female will set until two or three fuzz balls will emerge from the eggs. Then both adults are required to hunt as the owlets grow rapidly. I have seen a jack rabbit and feral cat carcass draped across a limb so the owlets will have enough food.

Great Horned owls are opportunistic feeders and hunt almost any living thing including other owls, cats and small dogs.

Rabbits are the preferred prey of the Great Horned even though they will feed on over 30 different species of animals and birds. If birds are brought to the nest, they are usually plucked by the adults before being delivered.

Like all birds of prey, Great Horned owls use their powerful feet to kill their prey. Their grip is believed to be the most powerful of any bird of prey in North America.

Owls cannot digest feather, hair or bones. These things are regurgitated as a pellet or “fur ball” about the size of a thumb. These pellets can be found under trees where the nests are found. I remember dissecting these pellets in high school to understand what the owls had been feeding on.

The Great-horned rival the Great Grey owls as the largest of the owls with their territory covering most of North and Central and parts of South America. With a four- to five-foot wingspan, they look large and fierce even though they weigh only two to four pounds. The females are larger than the males by about 20 percent.

The coloring of the Great Horned owls can vary from reddish brown to a gray or almost black with white undersides. Most of them in Southeastern Idaho are gray to light tan but there is an almost white one at the Camas National Wildlife Refuge.

Their eyes appear to be much larger than they actually are because of the orange-buff radiating feathers around the yellow eyes.

Daytime ice fishermen on Ririe Reservoir have no idea about the early morning sound show that happens before they arrive to chase the fish. For the pre-dawn fishermen the sound show is not the only benefit they enjoy as often times the fishing is also excellent during the chorus of the hooters.