Great Horned Owls Get To Work In Georgia

Great Horned Owls usually lay between 1 and 5 eggs per clutch, but it’s one egg and done for the pair nesting in the treetops above Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. After laying a single egg on January 17, the female has focused on incubation duties while her mate hunts for food. The incubation period lasts 30–37 days for Great Horned Owls, meaning we should get the first look at the downy owlet in mid to late February if all goes well. 

What To Watch For: Tune in during the day to see the peaceful scene of a mother working hard to keep her egg warm. As you watch, the serenity might be interrupted by the local chickadees, nuthatches, and Blue Jays alerting the surrounding forest about their new neighbors with a cacophony of alarm calls.

If you want to see the male, it’s best to tune in after hours when Great Horned Owls do most of their hunting. A midnight snack is just the thing to get a rise out of the female (and a peek at the egg). Daytime visits are rare, and they’re more likely to happen at dawn or dusk—like when the pair had a lot to say during this early morning duet!