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We took the shortcut through an industrial parkway in El Dorado Hills. Soon Suellen pointed out a large “raptor” on a tree branch adjacent to the road. Since we were doing errands we did not have binoculars or a camera, but with our naked eyes we suspected there were two great horned owls in the tree.

I quickly drove home (1.3 miles) and back to retrieve my camera. We had an adult great horned owl and a large juvenile.

There was a small nest close to the adult bird. Good photos were obtained!

Update 2020 04-24
I returned this morning to get more photos, perhaps with morning light on the owls. Both owls were absent, out foraging perhaps. An employee came over to talk (from a local business) and said she’d been watching the nest and the mother owl for at least 3 years. There have been 2 owlets every year, crammed into the tiny nest. A few days ago she found a juvenile owl carcass not too far from the nesting site. I photographed it with my iPhone.

I intend to stop back periodically to monitor.

Subsequent visits were owl-less. Perhaps next year?

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