Finding the Nest

On 17 March 2023 a birding friend and I decided to bird at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC). We were in the area where the Great Horned Owl had nested previously in an unoccupied bald eagle nest. In that area there are also two tires (yes, tires) that were mounted on trees to serve as a nesting site. Great Horned owls do not build nests, they typically take unoccupied eagle and hawk nests - or an artificial structure such as a tire. She had chosen one of the tires in years past. We were scanning the area and checking the eagle nest when my friend noticed her in one of the tires.