Early nesters

Did You Know? Great-Horned Owls begin breeding in late December!

As youngsters, many of us were taught that “birds migrate south for the winter, and come back to lay eggs in spring. But we rarely stopped to talk about all the “resident” birds that hung around throughout the winter. In Virginia, one of those resident raptor species – the Great-Horned Owl – begins breeding between late December and January, making the egg-laying season between January and March. Great-Horned Owls incubate eggs for 30-37 days, then if all goes well, out pops a chick! Can you do the math? Yep, when those eggs are laid and those chicks are born it is CHILLY out there!

We know a lot about the behaviors of wild birds and population trends through initiatives like the annual Audubon Bird Counts. The Christmas Bird Count takes place December 14 – January 5 and has about one week left to go. Citizen scientists from all over the country make a concerted effort to report their observations of wild birds during these weeks.

 Go deeper: Learn more about Great-Horned Owls and other winter breeders at The Cornell Lab’s All About Birds pages.

Challenge yourself: Winter is one of the best times to practice your birding skills. There are fewer birds around and fewer places for them to hide (hello, naked trees)! Practice using your ears to tag a bird’s approximate location, then your eyes to pinpoint and describe where it is. Both of these skills will aid your ability to find the bird in a pair of binoculars, if you are practicing with such. And should you find a pair of birds that seem to be familiar with each other? Watch them for awhile and see if you can identify their nesting tree!

Get engaged: There are lots of different types of projects that want to know what birds you are seeing! Find your local birding club and you’ll connect with many people who will be excited to share their love of birds with you!