Description

While camped in the Island Park, ID, vicinity last August, my husband and I were thrilled to learn that our “neighbors” for the week were a family of Great Gray Owls, the parents and two fledglings. Each day, we watched from our camp as the parents hunted voles for their young ones in the meadow next for the forest’s edge. It was so interesting to hear the various cries of the owls, the hungry cry being the most common. Surprisingly, the parent owls were not the least bit shy about flying through our camp or perching in the pine next to our trailer. Never in our dreams did my husband and I imagine witnessing Great Gray Owl behavior so up close and personal! A true highlight was watching one of the parents present a vole to its young. The photo shows the parent on the left and the fledgling on the right after retrieving its breakfast. And to think, my husband and I had never seen a Great Gray Owl before, much less four of them!!

Category

Category 1: Birds with Food or at the Feeder

Species

• Great Gray Owl