Great Horned Owl on nest-update

I posted about a Great Horned Owl on a nest in the Pueblo area on March 8. Since I was in Pueblo today for yet another water meeting (oh, boy, this was training on Colo water law), I stopped at the area where I had found the female Great Horned Owl on the nest. I found her still dutifully brooding on her nest, and again she was staying low on the nest and only visible from a small area.

Shortly after I got to the area where the nest is located, I heard a Great Horned Owl hoot (the usual territorial hoot or song) from a location only a few hundred feet from where the female was on the nest. Then the female hooted back. Birds of North America online reports that "Males usually roost and hoot from immediate nest vicinity; female responds with at least 1 to several hoots, or the pair duets for a while; . . ." This is likely to have been a "location communication call", a way for the pair to keep in contact.

Interestingly, the male called with a deep barotone "voice" while the female's response was at a higher pitch. Be sure to double-click on the photo to see here clearer.

SeEtta