Talk about camouflage! Check out how extraordinarily well this handsome dude’s plumage blends in with the poplar tree.

This is the same guy I shared a wide angle view of last week where it really showed how difficult it can be to spot these masters of hide-and-seek. This owl and his mate like this stand of trees for good reason. I have walked right by them a half dozen times before finally spotting them. It is a challenge for sure.

Right now, while he is free to roam, mama is in the nest sitting on eggs. I am looking forward to the little ones’ arrival next month.

Great horned owls are quite common, even in suburban areas. Finding them, however, is rarely easy – as these images show. These guys are masters at hiding and they have some pretty great camouflage as their plumage blends in well with trees.

This past weekend I took a friend to show him one of the mated pairs that I observe. As we approached the area, we stopped and were chatting about the area and the wildlife I have seen there. I glanced up and lo and behold, there was the male. It was sheer luck that I was able to pick him out as he blended in extraordinarily well in the massive, busy tree he was roosted in.

As for the female, I figured she was probably laying on eggs by now and I knew where she nested. Checking the tree cavity, if you didn’t know what to look for, you would never know she was in there. Just a few feathers of her back could be seen.

She’ll remain hunkered down in there for most of the next 4 to 5 weeks, incubating her eggs. Last year the pair fledged three, very cute owlets and I am hoping they have similar success this year.

Well, this was a bit of a surprise, not that a great horned owl is incubating right now but rather that it was in a spot I hadn’t expected.

This is the time of year when eggs are laid and mamas are sitting on their nests. However, this is a new nest and one I just happened to find by accident. I was wrapping up my photo drive on Saturday, mainly just driving home when I see two big “ears” sticking up from what used to be a red-tailed hawk nest.

That of course required a stop and, sure enough, those ears were ear tufts of a great horned owl that had taken over the hawk nest. Of course these guys never look happy, least of all when they are stuck sitting on a nest after a six inch snowstorm, something reflected in the image of the pretty lady. 😉 

Something you may not know… Great horned owls (and indeed, most owls) don’t build their own nests. Instead, they take over nests built by other raptors or choose hollowed out tree cavities. This can create conflicts when the previous occupant of the home finds a squatter has claimed their house as their own. Haha.

Well, I guess I was missing the boat on this Internet meme as today was the first time I had heard of it. It apparently piggybacks on a potential misspelling of today’s big game and lots of folks are sharing their pics of their “superb owl.” Heck, I just Googled the term and even they are getting into it with a special image above game coverage. So, here you go, my superb owl for the day.

This was taken early in December far out on the northeastern plains of Colorado. This handsome owl put on a very nice show, posing in the amazing golden light of sunrise. The glow of the sun coupled with its brilliant, yellow eyes was pretty superb if I do say so myself.

While I oftentimes visit places knowing owls are in the area, finding them can definitely be hit or miss. They have a knack for concealing themselves and their brown plumage certainly helps them blend in.

This past weekend I visited a spot that a mated pair calls home as I wanted to see if she was sitting in the nest yet. I spotted the male almost immediately as he was sitting quite proudly, relatively out in the open. The female eluded me though as I walked back and forth and around the stand of trees I figured she would be in.

Finally, in the crooked bend of a very thick tree branch I spot her, lying down and looking right at me, not 20 feet away. Well done, owl!

One pic shows a wider view of how well she was concealed (and you can see the male to the top right). The other pic is a zoomed in image of her nestled in there. I snapped my pics and moved on but will certainly be visiting this spot in the coming months. This pair’s nest is in a broken off tree’s open cavity which, while hard to photograph due to obstructions, is a fun one to monitor.

With temperatures below 20 degrees, I really debated whether I was wanting to venture out for a walk looking for owls this past Saturday morning. Despite the chill, I went ahead and while my first spot yielded northing more than cold, numb fingers, the second brought this surprise owl.

I was actually hiking to a different location and glanced over into a stand of trees and spotted this beautiful great horned owl relatively out in the open. It seemed to be relishing the warmth of the sun that was just coming over the horizon and I can’t say I blame it. I know I was happy as well for the sun.

This is a spot I will have to keep an eye on. I have walked by it a hundred times before and always felt like it was prime owl habitat but never had seen one in there until this day.

Taken back in mid-November, most of the trees were bare but a few were managing to hold on, providing a perfect hiding place for these creatures of the night. I was walking one of my nearby open spaces, hoping to find something interesting and indeed I did.

This gorgeous owl was using the foliage to help conceal itself. About 10 yards away was another tree with some leaves and its mate was hiding there. These guys never make it easy to find them but when you do, the rewards are fantastic.

Yeah, yet another example of the looks I get from wildlife. Not sure why I generate that response so often. 😉 

I had a fun encounter with this handsome owl this past weekend. I initially spotted it from a good ways away in a stand of trees with backlighting helping to pick it out of the mess of branches. I worked my way around to the other side of the stand of trees, and was able to find a nice, open spot from which to get a clear view of the raptor – a rarity with owls.

Best of all, in addition to the great look it gave me, it was sitting in such a fashion as to really show off those impressive talons. Yeah, those could do some damage! Most often you think of owls as being “cute” but make no mistake, they are predators and have the tools to deal with prey quickly.

As the sun was rising and I knew the owl needed its rest, I headed off, thanking it for its time and leaving it in peace.

Ooh, that light! Near perfect conditions when I photographed this beautiful owl as the sun was just popping over the horizon. The sun’s warmth was spreading as was its light, bathing the scene in some beautiful, soft, amber colors.

I had initially spotted this owl as it hung out on a stop sign pre-dawn, focused on some critter in the grasses below. When it decided a meal wasn’t to be had, it moved to a more natural perch allowing me to get a great series of images.

The owl was quite comfortable with my presence, largely ignoring me but, thankfully, giving me a couple direct looks like this one.