When the great horned owls are around they sometimes spend the day perched in a live oak down by the dry creek. They nap and try to rest but they’re always alert to any danger – and to the possibility of lunch.
The owl in this video was sitting on her branch when something on the creek bed below caught her attention, and she swooped down for the kill (we assumed). But whatever it was apparently got away and, perhaps in an effort to hide her failure, she suavely switched to sunning her wings.
Anyway, that’s our interpretation of what was going on. The truth is we really don’t know – and we’re always open to suggestions.
