As we enter the heart of summer in the midst of a heat wave and bathed in smoke from the Utah fires, it was reassuring to hear the soft hooting of a great horned owl last evening. Common throughout most of the Western Hemisphere, these large owls are regular visitors to our Littleton farm though, to my knowledge, they have never nested on the property.
The rather muted voice of last evening's visitor suggested it was a young owl, born last winter and now on its own after several months of parental assistance. The soft hoots, from a large tree near our house, certainly did not match the loud, confident banter of adult owls in late autumn and winter.
Feeding on a wide range of mammals, from mice to opossums, and on snakes, lizards and birds as well, great horned owls tend to be silent loners throughout the warmer months. Last evening's hoots thus seemed to promise that cool, crisp October nights lie ahead.
