Perched Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus): On the Look-Out for Rabbits
Adult Owl in an Aspen Tree, Rocky Mountain Front Range, Denver, Colorado, October/Autumn Morning.
I heard several birds loudly calling and went outside to see what was happening. I looked up in this tree and saw a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Above it were two Black-Billed Magpies, joined by four other Magpies perched on our gutter.
Meanwhile, two American Jays had also gathered in this same tree. And then two Western Scrub Jays joined in the cacophony, leaning in from an adjacent tree. They, too, loudly protested what I thought was the sole presence of this Hawk.
I went inside and quickly retrieved my camera. As I walked under this tree and looked up again, I saw The Source of all complaints - a Great Horned Owl, camouflaged within the aspen leaves! The Hawk was a few feet directly above the Owl, leaning down and making a distinctive, clucking sound of disapproval as well!
The Owl looked at me, then dipped, spread its wings, and flew from the aspen tree to a nearby pine tree. The Hawk flew very close to and above this Owl, appearing to peck at the Owl's tail.
This same mix of crowd-sourced birds - a.k.a. the Corvid Collective - launched and followed the Owl/Hawk pair. Their harsh protests persisted.
What a dynamic scene to witness! There were a lot of predators and prey in the same territory. Whew!
Perched Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus): On the Look-Out for Rabbits
Adult Owl in an Aspen Tree, Rocky Mountain Front Range, Denver, Colorado, October/Autumn Morning.
I heard several birds loudly calling and went outside to see what was happening. I looked up in this tree and saw a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Above it were two Black-Billed Magpies, joined by four other Magpies perched on our gutter.
Meanwhile, two American Jays had also gathered in this same tree. And then two Western Scrub Jays joined in the cacophony, leaning in from an adjacent tree. They, too, loudly protested what I thought was the sole presence of this Hawk.
I went inside and quickly retrieved my camera. As I walked under this tree and looked up again, I saw The Source of all complaints - a Great Horned Owl, camouflaged within the aspen leaves! The Hawk was a few feet directly above the Owl, leaning down and making a distinctive, clucking sound of disapproval as well!
The Owl looked at me, then dipped, spread its wings, and flew from the aspen tree to a nearby pine tree. The Hawk flew very close to and above this Owl, appearing to peck at the Owl's tail.
This same mix of crowd-sourced birds - a.k.a. the Corvid Collective - launched and followed the Owl/Hawk pair. Their harsh protests persisted.
What a dynamic scene to witness! There were a lot of predators and prey in the same territory. Whew!