The Great Horned Owl
the natural area along the Cache la Poudre River. We do have great horned owls in the local cemetery, too. After all, it's a nice quiet area with lots of big trees, just the kind of space owls need to raise a family.
When they have the opportunity, great horned owls will take baths. In a shallow pool, an owl will splash and preen like a robin in a bird bath, then fluff up and dry in the sun. I got this and much more from a delightful book titled One Man's Owl. It was written by Professor of Zoology, Bernd Heinrich, and describes his observations of, and relationship with, an owlet named Bubo that he rescued from a snow bank. After he obtained the required Federal and State permits to keep a wild bird, he raised Bubo and let him roam free in the Maine woods around his cabin every summer. He followed Bubo around to watch his behavior and his interactions with other birds. Heinrich writes that sometimes Bubo was a clown and sometimes a terrorist, but always fascinating. After three years, Bubo became a competent hunter and a wild owl. The book is nicely illustrated with many black and white photos and finely detailed drawings by the author.
References:
Heinrich, Bernd. One Man's Owl. 1987. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. ISBN: 0-691-08470-X
Harrison, Hal H. A Field Guide To Western Birds' Nests. 1979. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston
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