header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 28
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir


Let's Go Outside | Commentary by Evelyne Vandersande
| Thursday, Aug 29, 2013

evelynevandersande_mugWhy did we choose the great horned owl as our logo for the Placerita Canyon Nature Center? Owl Junior, who quickly became OJ, was our resident owl for 29 years. He was a beautiful bird that everybody admired, but he was cranky with people who fed the snakes in front of him and did not let them handle him.

OJ was quiet for many years, but out of the blue, one day he figured how to hoot – and he kept on going with gusto until the end of his life.

When he died, we were all shocked and upset, but by looking at our logo, his presence will always remain with us.

The great horned owl is a bird of prey that commands respect.

The most striking feature of the great horned owl is its eyes: large and yellow, often staring at you, and placed in a facial disk that also helps to bring more sound to the ear openings.

The late Owl Junior, aka OJ. Photo: Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates.

Photo: Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates.

Great horned owls have perfect auditory anatomy to help them hunt. The ear openings are on each side of the facial disk; this dish directs all of the sounds to the ears. The placement of the ears is asymmetric: The right ear is set higher up in the skull, and the left one is lower. By tilting its head, the owl can tell exactly the location of prey simply by sound. Experiments have been done in a totally dark room, and the great horned owl was able to catch a mouse even in that absolute darkness.

Great “horned” owl? Does it have horns? It has tuft of feathers on its head that moves up or down according to the owl’s mood. They are not horns, or even ears, but they give the great horned its distinctive appearance and a certain panache.

Let’s go back to their eyes. Owls have binocular vision, allowing them to pinpoint prey and see in very low light. The eyes are almost as large as human eyes, but they cannot move left and right. They are fixed in its head.

Would that be a problem if you tried to hunt? A human neck has seven vertebrae, and this is why we can turn our head just over our shoulder and no further. The owl has 14 vertebrae, so it can turn its head further to see what is at its back. We would have to turn our body around to be able to do that.

Whoooo you lookin' at?

Whoooo you lookin’ at?

Many kids ask, “Can it turn its head all the way around?” No, but it can turn its head a long way to the left, then it can turn its head around to the right. With those two motions, it has seen all the way around.

On the other hand, the great own horned owl has a poor sense of smell, like most birds. This is beneficial if you want to eat something that doesn’t smell so nice, like a skunk –  which they do without the slightest discomfort. They are actually the only regular predator of skunks; most other animals choose to stay away.

They are ferocious hunters and can easily kill prey two to three times heavier than they are. In addition to birds that they catch sleeping, and small mammals that come out at night, they can catch squirrels, chicken, fish, rabbits and even cats and small dogs.

If the prey is large, the owl will start eating it on the ground, but smaller prey is killed while taking off, and then swallowed whole. Its talons have 300 pounds of pressure per square inch (PSI), so no prey can escape. It has four toes on each foot and can rotate two toes to the front and two toward the back, which is a perfect position for squeezing a prey to death.

owl1How does it hunt at night? The great horned owl has a wing span of four feet, and its wings have stiff feathers. Even the feet are covered with feathers, so they fly without making a sound.

It is always special to demonstrate this phenomenon at the Nature Center when we make the owl presentation. We ask the audience to be quiet, and we move our hand up and down so the owl perched on it has to move it wings to keep balanced. Not a sound can be heard, and that invariably astonishes the audience.

An owl hunts at night by observing from a concealed perch. It dives down on the prey, talons extended, and often with wings folded. The small prey is swallowed whole, and six to eight hours later, the owl will regurgitate a pellet with all of the parts that could not be digested, like bones and fur. It is always an interesting science project to dissect an owl pellet to find out what the owl diet was on a particular day.

Great horned owls mate for life, but they stay together only during the breeding season. They need a territory of about 2.5 acres, and they breed early in the year. Because they do their hunting at night, it is appropriate that they take advantage of the longest nights of the winter when they can hunt for an extended period of time. They breed in January and February, but they call for a mate in the fall and make a decision by December.

During courtship, the male will puff up and hoot loudly. The female will hoot back, and they rub beaks and preen each other. They do not build their own nests but take over the nest of a large bird such as a raven or hawk. Sometimes they use a cavity in a tree or an empty building.

Females will lay one to five eggs, and the incubation lasts about 33 days. The female is in charge of incubation and is fed by the male. When the babies are two weeks old, they are fed by both parents.

owl2The babies are curious and adventurous and start to check out the nearby branches when they are six weeks old, but they are not good flyers until they are 12 weeks old. They stay close to their parents even until the following October, when the parents are thinking about starting the new clutch. Parents’ jobs never stop, I guess, even among birds.

For years, the great horned owl was considered a threat to small domestic fowl, and bounties were paid for a dead owl. Education has changed this sad perception. Public opinion has shifted; we have learned they keep the rodent population under control and play an important role in our environment. Trapping or hunting owls is now illegal.

The eggs, nestlings and fledglings can be eaten by coyotes or cats, but the adults have almost no predators, and the population remains stable.

October will be here soon, and with it, the beginning of the courtship season. I hope that while you’re lying in your bed in the quiet of the night, you can hear the hooting in a nearby tree. It is comforting to know wildlife is so close by, even if the great horned owl is well hidden and difficult to see in the dark shadows.

 

Evelyne Vandersande has been a docent at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center for 27 years. She lives in Newhall.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


Opinion Section Policy
All opinions and ideas are welcome. Factually inaccurate, libelous, defamatory, profane or hateful statements are not. Your words must be your own. All commentary is subject to editing for legibility. There is no length limit, but the shorter, the better the odds of people reading it. "Local" SCV-related topics are preferred. Send commentary to: LETTERS (at) SCVNEWS.COM. Author's full name, community name, phone number and e-mail address are required. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are not published except at author's request. Acknowledgment of submission does not guarantee publication.
Read More From...
RECENT COMMENTARY
Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024
Remo, Inc. is is the world's leading manufacturer and developer of synthetic drumheads and shells. They’ve been in business for 60 years
Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024
Springtime in Santa Clarita brings not only vibrant blooms and opportunities to embrace the outdoors with warmer weather, but also an array of free, family-friendly events and this Saturday is no exception.
Thursday, Mar 21, 2024
Did you know that each year, Main Street in Old Town Newhall undergoes countless makeovers for different events, such as Light Up Main Street and the Fourth of July Parade?
Thursday, Mar 21, 2024
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose Fifth District includes the Santa Clarita Valley, issued the following statement Thursday in response to an announcement by Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel of a proposal to change how calls to the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline are routed.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Friday, Mar 15, 2024

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
College of the Canyons got back on track during its return to conference play carding a five-man score of 370 to top the eight-team field at Brookside Golf Course and maintain its unblemished conference mark.
Cougars Win Again, Keep Conference Streak
Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector, reminds property owners that the second installment of the 2023-24 Annual Secured Property Taxes becomes  delinquent if not received by 5 p.m. Pacific Time or United States Postal Service postmarked on or before Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
County Treasurer Reminds Property Owners of April 10 Due Date
Local nonprofit Fostering Youth Independence is seeking “Allies” to support Santa Clarita youth who are aging out of the L.A. County foster care system.
April 16: FYI Seeks Volunteers To Pair With Local Foster Youth
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health today unveiled the latest L.A. County Health Survey, which gathers vital data on health behaviors, conditions, neighborhood settings, and the needs of L.A .County residents, informing future public health policies and programs.
Public Health Unveils the 2023 L.A. County Health Survey Findings
Due to the projected rain forecast, Eggstravaganza will now be held indoors at the Canyon Country Community Center beginning promptly at 10 a.m. on March 30.
March 30: Eggstravaganza Now Being Held Indoors at Canyon Country Community Center
To support the mental health of California's young people, the California Department of Public Health awarded $25 million to 28 tribal and community-based organizations across the state.
California Announces $25 Million in Awards for Youth Mental Health
The College of the Canyons Athletic Department will host a dedication ceremony to unveil the Michele Jenkins Softball Team Room in honor of the longtime board member and ardent softball program supporter’s nearly 40 years of service to the district.
April 16: COC to Host Michele Jenkins Team Room Dedication Ceremony
PFLAG Santa Clarita has announced the establishment of the Peggy and Jeff Stabile PFLAG SCV Scholarship. The scholarship will provide financial assistance to LGBTQIA+ students pursuing higher education and committed to advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights and promoting diversity and inclusion.
PFLAG SCV Announces Stabile PFLAG Scholarship
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir
The California Department of Public Health launched the “Never a Bother” campaign, a youth suicide prevention public awareness and outreach campaign for youth, young adults, and their parents, caregivers, and allies.
California Launches New Youth Suicide Prevention Campaign
The Santa Clarita Master Chorale invites the community to "Let the Sunshine In," a delightful evening of food, wine and song at the annual Cabaret & Cabernet fundraising benefit.
April 20: Santa Clarita Master Chorale’s Cabaret, Cabernet Fundraiser
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters:
March 27 Ocean Water Warning
As an integral ingredient necessary to help the Santa Clarita Valley to flourish, feedback from the business community is the secret sauce for achieving great things.
SCVEDC Asks For the Business Community’s Opinion on Santa Clarita
Raise your heart rate while raising funds for the Santa Clarita Sister Cities Dollars-for-Desks campaign to provide school desks for students in Sariaya, Santa Clarita's Sister City in the Philippines.
April 13: Sister Cities Zumba-thon Fundraiser
Remo, Inc. is is the world's leading manufacturer and developer of synthetic drumheads and shells. They’ve been in business for 60 years
SCVEDC Company Spotlight: Drumming Up Big Business with Remo, Inc.
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) and Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland) have introduced AB 3074 the "School or athletic team names: California Racial Mascots Act."
Schiavo Introduces Bill to Prohibit ‘Derogatory’ School Mascot Names
Los Angeles County’s Justice, Care and Opportunities Department  in collaboration with Local Initiatives Support Corporation Los Angeles is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Pitch Competition for the cohorts of JCOD's Incubation Academy.
March 28: JCOD Incubation Academy Helps Grassroots Non-Profits For the Second Year
Children’s Bureau is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
April 18: Children’s Bureau Hosts Virtual Orientation
The Sunburst track was constructed in 1887 by the Southern Pacific Railroad and was a part of the main line running between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Enjoy Spring With a Ride On The Sunburst Track
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a Personal Finance Summit today where he announced his support for Assembly Bill 2927 (McCarty), legislation that would require a personal finance education course for California high school graduation.
State Superintendent Announces Support for Personal Finance Graduation Requirement
1847 - Probable birth date of Pico Canyon oil driller Charles Alexander Mentry [story]
C.A. Mentry
The first Music Jam Session at The MAIN was held on Thursday, Feb. 22 and was a hit. Come out and join in for the next one on Thursday, March 28 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
March 28: The MAIN to Host Musicians’ Jam Session
Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman of the Office of Inspector General has issued a report entitled "Tenth Report Back on Implementing Body-Worn Cameras in Los Angeles County."
Office of Inspector General Issues Latest Report on LASD Body Cams
SCVNews.com