Superb owl!

Photo by Marty Horowitz 2/3/2015

The Terrific Tuesday naturalists worked with 1st graders from Dietz Elementary on - you guessed it - Tuesday, 2/3/2015. (I was fortunate to be a sub that day.) This Great Horned Owl was in the riparian area above the dam, near the Cooper's Hawk nest. As you might imagine, the Cooper's Hawks were not amused. When my great green group walked by, we heard one of the hawks squawking up a storm. A professor from Boston, teaching at the U this semester, was kind enough to set up his telescope at first-grader-eye level so that all the kids could get a close-up view of the owl. A real treat for all!!

From the All about Birds link above: 

With its long, ear-like tufts, intimidating yellow-eyed stare, and deep hooting voice, the Great Horned Owl is the quintessential owl of storybooks. This powerful predator can take down birds and mammals even larger than itself, but it also dines on daintier fare such as tiny scorpions, mice, and frogs. It’s one of the most common owls in North America, equally at home in deserts, wetlands, forests, grasslands, backyards, cities, and almost any other semi-open habitat between the Arctic and the tropics.