It's courting time!

It seems that Ned and Nellie had taken a little sabbatical as they recovered from raising three owlets.  The juveniles have gone to find their own territory.  December and January is courting season for owls.  It is Ned's job to feed Nellie all she craves (men:take a lesson here) and it is Nellie's job (ladies: just ignore this lesson) to well, receive Ned's offering in ways other than food (how's that for our young Hooter followers?).  At dusk, you will often hear them hooting and hollering.  Last Sunday, my husband and son were raking leaves in the back in the dark (planning skills not one of their finer points) and Ned and Nellie were above them hooting.  My guess is that Nellie was saying to Ned, these nice men have stirred up all these mice so go grab me a triple decker NOW. Oh, and take those nasty tails off so I don't have to regurgitate them. So for the next two months, Ned will be hunting for two so he will be out and about with Nellie hooting to say "Here I am, you old fool."

It is also interesting to note that owls do not like sirens. You will often hear and siren and then hooting afterwards.