The easiest bird to find and photograph. Simply go down to the river in late February and look for the nests in the trees. It’s easy. There are no leaves. Owls often start incubating in February because it takes much time to fledge and train these excellent rodent killers. Just keep visiting the nest. Most females will ignore you. Owls don’t build nests. They use old hawk nests or smash down a squirrel’s nest. One pair, probably young, used a crook in a tree and still managed to raise one.
This baby was blown or pushed from its nest thirty feet above. I thought of picking it up and finding a branch to place it on, but it snapped its beak so promisingly that I thought better and decided to leave it to the coyotes.
Two days later I found it across a dry river bed from its nest, still being fed by its parents.
To get to the point, it eventually re-crossed the river bed and re-united with its two siblings. They hung out on that stretch of the river well into Summer.
Whoever coined the saying “Mad as a Wet Hen” had obviously never seen a wet baby Great-Horned Owl.
Being dry can improve one’s spirits.