Hooter the great horned owl.

It was just after sunset, the moon was not up yet and you could still see a little. Woola was sniffing around the fire wood pile, like she does. But so was Hooter, There was the sound of a little tussle, Woola let out a yelp and ran over to where I was standing. Hooter took off from the ground and came right over me. She may have been chasing Woola of just getting away. I could see her silhouette and her 4 FOOT WINGSPAN! Big bird, and the sound of those wings!

Now I have seen Hooter in the daytime. I think she might be following Woola, or just watching to see if we stir up something for her to snack on.

I was walking through the trees in the front of the house and this little guy nearly hit me in the shoulder. She was trying to fly, but not doing too well. She hit the ground a few feet in front of me and woola rushed in to save me.

I managed to stop the war dog before any damage was done.

I got pretty close to the fledgling ß to make sure she was OK.

She was about a foot tall, lots of feathers and still a little fluff. I could see that her feet had some big claws.

Babys . . . That's why Hooter has been watching the war dog wherever we went.

I searched around and found the nest.

The top of the old cottonwood stump had another baby horned owl. This one was a little smaller and had brighter colors.

I looked online and found that the male is smaller and has brighter colors. The parents mate for life and the babys eat 12 to 15 mice every night (yea!), that keeps Hooter pretty busy.

I called a horned owl rescue place that I found online. It was in Wisconsin. I asked them if I should put the baby back in the nest. They told me that the fledglings spend their first 3 or 4 days out of the nest - on the ground. It builds up their legs.

I told them that there are a lot of coyotes here and it might not be safe.

After a little conversation, we agreeded that it would be ok to put the baby back in the nest at dusk.

Hooter was staying close by, even in the full daylight.

I got the big ladder ready, found the welding gloves and a big towel.

I moved a chair into the shade, took my cigar and big glup and decided to help Hooter keep guard.

The baby owl walked around a little. Spread her wings (bigger wingspan that I would have thought), but seemed too weak to protect herself.

Sometimes as I walked around to check on things, Hooter would fly down to the ground and pretend to have a broken wing, Hooter made some squealing sounds. She was trying to lure us away from her baby.

It's hard to see in this picture, but Hooter has her wings spread out and is in a kind of crouch.

Hooter made a lot of low passes. It was really something to see.

Hooter has a large wingspan, about 4 feet I think, maybe a little more.

As it started to get dark I was getting ready to catch the baby and put her back in the nest.

The baby had found her way under the big water tank and I was thinking that she was pretty safe under there. Woola could not get under there and it was inside the house fence. I don't think coyotes come that close to the house.

But Then . . .
As I was getting pretty close to the water tank, Woola was a few feet in front of me on the house side of me. Hooter made a low pass right in front of me. She was right at my eyeline about 4 or 5 feet in front of me. Wings spread out full, moving pretty fast and absolutely silent.

Woola was now about 10 feet to my left, Hooter hit Woola right in the center of her back. A couple of feathers floated up after the collision. Hooter did not use her claws, just a big bump. Woola was tuff, she hardly even moved.

Hooter circled up and landed on the power pole near the house and I could hear her clicking her beak together, "click click" "click click"
"click click"

I told her that it was OK, I had been talking to her for a couple of weeks now, she did not seem to be listening.

I figured that if Hooter was willing to take on a 90 pound war dog, a 50 pound coyote was not going to be an issue.

Woola and I moved around back to sit by the firepit and finish watching the sunset. And Hooter came along with us and sat in the dead pine tree, just like she has been doing almost every night.