Great Horned Owls nesting in Colo

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Female Great Horned Owls are "on the nest" all around eastern Colorado. I have been owling around south central Colorado for about a month and have found 2 Great Horned Owls on nests including the one in this photo that is sleeping or at least resting with her eyes mostly closed. Double click on the pic for a close-up which reveals her left eye slightly open, evidently aware of my presence though I always try to be as quiet as possible (the darn digital cameras make noise when the shutter is snapped that is clearly noticed by some birds). This is the type of impact that is often unseen or ignored by birders and especially bird photographers.
Not only I but other Colorado birders have reported owls on nests for the past few weeks.Besides the 2 on nests, I have seen 3 other Great Horned Owls in 2 counties. I also spotted a Western Screech Owl.

Great Horned have been singing since December. In fact, I heard a pair engaged in duetting in early December (seemed a little early) and the I found the female on the nest 2 weeks ago. Duetting is when a pair sings songs that overlap or are sometimes even synchronized. SeEtta

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