For more years than my own residency in St. Augustine, a pair of great horned owls have been nesting in the marine hammock at Fort Matanzas National Monument. Owls tend to establish life-long pair bonds and the Fort Matanzas courtship hootings were particularly noticeable this last fall as reported by Ray Hamel who pilots the boat ferrying visitors to the fort.
All fall, the noisy owl courtship took place around the visitors' center. The owls were not shy in making appearances late afternoons to visitors, rangers and volunteers. As of January 9, Ray gleefully announced, the female has been sitting on a nest while the male watches protectively from his sentry post in a nearby tree.
Great horned owls exhibit boldness around humans with a "What are you doing on MY earth?" golden stare backed up by ferocious defense of nest and young when necessary. If you trespass, they'll give warning by clicking their beaks. Ignore the warning and the male will swoop down and knock the trespasser in the head with his talons with enough power to floor an adult. The Fort Matanzas great horned owls seem confident visitors will respect their invisible "no trespass" zone and have nested within sight of the visitors' center. As is often the case, this nest is not a marvel of construction. A great horned owl's concept of a nest is two twigs and a piece of moss. Because of this, chicks often end up on the ground before they can fly. Ranger Linda Chandler reports the Fort Matanzas female has chosen a resurrection fern-covered fork in an oak tree that might provide a more secure platform for her chicks.
Unlike songbirds, female birds of prey start sitting the moment the first egg is laid, even though they may lay two to three eggs, each, several days apart. This means the chicks hatch in the order their eggs were laid and the first hatched gets a head start, insuring its survival in case there's not enough prey to go around. The incubation period for great horned owl eggs is 28-30 days.
Owl watching: Keep voices low; move naturally but slowly. If you hear clicking sounds, back off. Whether from naivete or malice, children have a tendency to throw things at owls, so please teach children to be responsible wildlife observers.
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