Admittedly to the middle of January it has been a wimpy winter in Minnesota. As I write this, however, the meteorologists are promising that the great pool of cold air to the north will descend on us and bring us all the shivers. That is fitting, because it is in this coldest part of the year that spring has already arrived for the Great Horned Owl. Courtship began as early as December and by February the female is incubating eggs.

I am enamored of owls and the Great Horned Owl is the quintessential owl. For Hollywood it may be the only owl. Whenever tinsel town requires an eerie sound to set the mood, it is the hoot of the Great Horned Owl that they put on the soundtrack. The Great Horned gives a hoot that may be transcribed as “Who’s awake? Me too.” The rhythm is consistent so it is easy to recognize unlike the Barred Owl which can scream and cackle and hoot. Actually, the Barred Owl would be better for Hollywood. It can certainly startle and has been known to scare me.

Read the rest of the Nancy's column in our February issue...