A Mother’s Vigil

On January 24, 2021, the female Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) began sitting in the nest cavity that she and her mate had prepared. Presumably, she had laid at least one egg and could potentially lay another egg at a later time. 

Incubating the eggs was her role for the next five weeks. She would be there to keep the eggs warm through the entire month of February and into March. I visited the nest almost every day, sometimes more than once and she was always there, sitting patiently.

The only visible sign of her presence were the two prominent “horns,” conspicuous above the nest, as she sat motionless, day after day.

I photographed her on the nest primarily from the south side, or the side facing the main gate of the Old Burying Ground. Additional photos from the north side (facing the courthouse) provided another perspective on the nest (below).

From the north, it was often possible to see the mother owl’s body stretched horizontally across the nest with her tail held high…

By the third week of February, she had tolerated rain, wind, and freezing temperatures, not to mention an occasional human walking around below the nest. She was aware of all intruders.

She kept her eggs warm with her “brood patch,” a featherless area on her abdomen, designed for that purpose. Since her mate lacks this, he does not take turns incubating the eggs. His job is to supply her with meals, delivering prey mostly at night, during the entire time she is incubating the eggs. Here she is at the end of February…

The egg(s) hatched after about 35 days of incubation during the first week of March. Even after hatching, she continued sitting on the nest. Wintery cold conditions required that she brood the nestlings for another three weeks. Initially, there was no visible change in her position after hatching took place…

But by the second week in March, she appeared to be sitting higher in the nest, perhaps to accommodate the growing nestlings beneath her. More of her was visible than just the “horns.”

Finally, a day arrived when she was not on the nest! Instead, I observed her sitting in a nearby tree and in the nest was a single nestling, peeking over the edge. It was March 22. It’s eyes were wide open and it was covered with pale gray down. “Horn” tufts were starting to form on its head. It was probably about three weeks old.

It seems that once the nestling was no longer needing its mother’s “brood pouch.” The male Great Horned Owl took over nest-sitting duties. The following photographs show that Dad is somewhat smaller than his mate, and his “horns” are not quite as upright …

Gradually, the adults left the nestling alone in the nest for longer periods, but one of them was always close by, keeping a watchful eye.

It would continue to rely on its parents for night feedings and would probably remain in the home territory through the spring and summer. But the Mother Owl’s long vigil of sitting on the nest, day and night, was over.

To see more about the young owl, visit the following …

• 2021: One Nestling