12 March 2025

Almost two weeks ago — on 27 February — this 6-week-old great horned owlet fell 100 feet from her nest on the Panther Hollow Bridge and was rescued and taken to Tamarack Wildlife Center. Tamarack determined her injuries were so minor that she was ready for release quite soon. But where to take her? Her birth-nest is inaccessible.

She needed to be in a foster family with siblings her age but she is older than other known nestlings in western PA. (Her parents nest really early.) In the end the best choice was to return her to her parents by placing her in a temporary nest near the bridge.

Yesterday, 11 March, she went home with help from Tamarack Wildlife Center, City of Pittsburgh Forestry and Pittsburgh Park Rangers. Her adventure is documented in these photos by Dana Nesiti.

First, her temporary nest was placed 20-30 feet up in a tree within sight and sound of her parents. Then George DeSavage of City Forestry received her from Tamarack staff.

As a parting shot she bite the gloved finger of her Tamarack handler. Fortunately those gloves are very thick.

Then she rode in the bucket truck to her temporary nest …

… and settled in.

She is just the right age to begin “branching” — walking off the nest — so her parents will not be surprised to hear her away from the birth-nest. When she wakes up hungry she will make begging calls like this and her parents will bring her food.

Tamarack explains:

Over the next 3-4 weeks, she will practice perching, hopping, flapping and short flights before being fully able to fly at around age 9 weeks.

Great Horned Owls spend more time with their young than any other owl species in Pennsylvania. Six months or more are spent supporting their young and teaching them hunting skills, before encouraging their young to disperse in the fall.

— Tamarack Wildlife Center Facebook pAGE

Read more about her adventure in the Post-Gazette Great horned owl named Muppet, rehabbed after 100-foot fall, returned to Schenley Park.

Follow Tamarack Wildlife Center on Facebook where they mention how to help them rehab wildlife.

If you would like to contribute and to be part of making this and other treatments and reunions possible, check out www.tamarackwildlife.org

— Tamarack Wildlife Center Facebook pAGE

7 March 2025

On Tuesday 4 March Jim McCollum visited Schenley Park to see the great horned owls’ nest. While there he was lucky to see a nestling stand up and stretch. Look who has wings!

Great horned owls in Schenley Park, 4 March 2025 (photos by Jim McCollum)

These wings are not fully developed yet but they are looking good and will be further along today than they were three days ago.

When will the Schenley owlets fly?

Here is my best guess at when the nestlings will fly from the Schenley Park bridge nest.

• Based on their appearance and behavior I think the first egg hatched around 5 February and the second about two days later. Approximate hatch dates = 5-7 Feb. [Update from Tamarack: Hatching was approx 28-30 January.]
• Great horned owl nestlings walk off the nest and start “branching” at 5-6 weeks = approximately 12-21 March.
• Branching youngsters fly away from the nest — “fledging” — at 9-10 weeks = early April. I am not sure of this estimate. It may be sooner (late March) though I doubt it will be later in April.

Recap: Where to View the Nest
If you want to see the owls’ nest bring binoculars, a camera and a scope if you have them to this location in Schenley Park near the stone bench on the Lower Trail (click this link for the map).

Here’s what the bridge looks like when you get there. Look for the nest at the red circle area in this photo.

17 February 2025

It was overcast with misty rain when Dana Nesiti visited Schenley Park on Saturday 15 February to capture photos of the great horned owl’s nest. As you can see, the owlet is growing fast and starting to get facial disc feathers. (You can also see raindrops on the back of Dana’s camera, below.)

For comparison, here’s what the owlet looked like 4 days earlier on 11 February — all beak.

Hoping for a good look at the owl family, Charity Kheshgi and I visited Schenley yesterday while it was sunny. Unfortunately the wind was so cold that the owlet hid beneath his mother’s belly feathers while her ear tufts flapped in the wind.

We did, however, find the father owl roosting in a tree on the opposite hillside — in the sun and out of the wind.

Today it’s so cold that the owlet will be hiding. Next weekend’s above freezing temperatures will be a good time to check on his progress.

11 February 2025

Remember this great horned owl nesting in Schenley Park? According to eBirder Andy Georgeson, she’s been incubating since at least 8 January.

[Great horned owl] continuing – I have now observed this owl on the old red tail hawk nest for the last 3 weeks. … This morning the owl was mobbed by 2 Ravens and displayed a defensive posture while in the nest before the Ravens flew off.

— eBird Checklist comment from Andy Georgeson, 29 Jan 2025, 7:30am

Last Sunday, 9 February, Dana Nesiti saw movement under her breast feathers and patiently waited until her owlet appeared. Can you see its little gray beak poking out under her white collar?

Incubation for great-horned owls (Bubo virginianus) lasts 30-37 days, averaging 33 days. If this owlet hatched on Saturday 8 February, its egg was laid around 6 January. Andy Georgeson’s observation supports this timing, too.

Great horned owlets are in their nestling phase for 42 days. This one will probably walk off the nest (called “branching”) on or around 22 March.

We’re going to have 6 weeks of Superb Owlet(s)!

UPDATE at noon on 11 February: Charity Kheshgi and I visited Schenley Park this morning to see the owls, best viewed in the vicinity of the stone bench here. I was lucky to digiscope a photo of the chick.

The owlet is the white fluff closest to his mother in the center of the photo. The other white stuff is the remains of a rabbit on top of the twigs at the left.

If you can’t discern the owlet above, here’s the same photo flipped so that the chick’s sleeping face is in the normal upright position. Ignore everything in this marked up photo except the area inside the yellow circle. Notice that the owlet’s white head, dark eye (closed), and beak are peeking out to the right of the nest twigs.

30 January 2025

Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) are the first birds to nest in Pennsylvania each year(*). They start courting in late fall and become really intense in December when you often hear them hooting in the woods and suburbs.  By January or February they’ve chosen a nest site and the female lays her eggs.

Since great horned owls never build a nest they often take over an old red-tailed hawk nest and that’s what they did at this bridge in Oakland. Ankur and Wenting saw the pair last Sunday 26 January.

The female owl is the only one who incubates, so she’s on the nest in the photo. Look closely behind and above her and you will see her mate perched on a horizontal girder. He feeds her at night and roosts near her during the day.

According to eBirder Andy Georgeson, this female has been on the nest since around 8 January:

[Great horned owl] continuing – I have now observed this owl on the old red tail hawk nest for the last 3 weeks. … This morning the owl was mobbed by 2 Ravens and displayed a defensive posture while in the nest before the Ravens flew off.

— eBird Checklist comment from Andy Georgeson, 29 Jan 2025, 7:30am

Look at old red-tailed hawk nests near you for some ear tufts sticking up. If you see them, don’t get too close!  You don’t want to tangle with Mama owl!

p.s. The nest pictured at top is an old osprey nest in Florida, claimed by a great horned owl.

(*)First to nest: Pigeons nest all year long in Pennsylvania. They never have an off season.