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14 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MAY 2025 Two new neighbors have moved into our SDV community: Athena the huntress, and her mate, the magical Bubo. They make a dynamic pair of Great Horned Owls, nesting in our own neighborhood. Too bad we don't have an owl cam to watch the whole process. She is the only one that sits on the eggs due to a patch on her lower abdomen that produces the exact temperature the babies need to develop. Since she is on the nest 24/7, her mate will feed her the entire time. He sleeps below her, totally camouflaged, but always with instant access. She will brood for 30 to 37 days, producing one to four eggs — the typical being two. Great Horned Owls can reach 35 inches tall, with a wingspan of 4 ½ feet. The female is the bigger of the two. His voice is lower than hers. This owl is the largest in the Americas and is an accomplished hunter. Its nickname is the Night Tiger. These owls fly silently due to an exceptional feather formation. After the babies hatch, they fluff out white until about 10 days old, when they start to turn grey. They will remain with their parents all summer learning to fly and then hunt. Their parents continue to feed them all summer too. They are territorial with a range of 1 ½ square miles. Recently while outside, I witnessed a Cooper's Hawk fly above her chittering. It landed about 10 feet above her. In a blink of an eye, her mate was at her side. He took off, pursuing the hawk into the Paseo. I could still hear the hawk chittering, when it suddenly burst out of the Paseo and flew in the opposite direction. It is like having our own National Geographic channel. She is easy to spot right now, as the tree she is nesting in hasn't leafed out yet. So, if you haven't seen her yet, do come and look. She is nesting in a tree at the north end of the Paseo. Just across the last bridge on the right side, walk to the sidewalk after crossing the bridge and turn to your left. She is in a very large nest in one of the taller trees just before you get to the first house on that side of the street. But please, be respectful. Submitted by an SDV resident who wishes to remain anonymous and photograph by Kathy Rourke, Resident Nature's Wonders