I have two Great Horned Owls that I hear about every other night calling
back and forth. They usually start at dusk and go for 20 minutes and
will oftentimes start up again around 4:00 a.m. and go until almost
dawn. They usually move around quite a bit as they are hooting back and
forth. I was assuming it was a male/female pair but everything I am
reading says females are usually quiet until just a few weeks before
nesting begins. It's still a little early for that and they don't seem
to be homing in on any particular areas so I'm sure they are not ready
to nest yet. Could this actually be two males trying to establish
territory? The only times I have heard them hooting close to each other
it is too dark to see or they are too far away so I have been unable to
compare their sizes. But, sometimes they do sound as if they are quite
close to each other as they call back and forth. Any great horned owl
experts out there that want to venture a guess as to whether I have a
bonded pair or just males trying to establish territory?

Cathy Wise
Clearview, WA
cathy.wise at cingular.com