The Big Wash is a dry river bed. It gets occasional water as spring snow melts from the Santa Catalina Mountains or from July's monsoon rains. A pair of Great Horned Owls call these cliff sides home.
It's their territory with few disputes.
I suspect he's the top arial predator in this part of the Sonoran Desert.
If up all night hunting for rodents, you must sleep during the day.
As I walked through the wash he opened his eyes, but didn't move a feather. I suspect he was no more interested in me than the dozens of coyotes, javelinas and domestic dogs who's tracks I followed.
(Click any picture to enlarge)
A pair of Northern Rough-winged Swallows also claimed this stretch of the Big Wash as THEIR home.
They displayed displeasure by diving on him, only to perch in front of him afterwards, albeit at a safe distance.
The owl took little note of the swallow's property rights or as being anything worth eating.
The female Great Horned Owl has been holed-up for weeks now, thirty feet high in a shallow recess.
I assume she's sitting on eggs.
The male stands guard during the day, ready to do battle with any real threats, three hundred feet south of the nest.
He could take advantage of a mouse or ground squirrel as a daytime snack for his mate, but daytime is a time for rest for these beautiful birds.
Allan
Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
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