Taking over the nest

 In late April, Rehoboth Beach resident Oana Turton was enjoying a bike ride near Gordons Pond when a family of great horned owls piqued her curiosity.

“I was out there riding my bike and they caught my eye, especially being a family. I first spotted the mother, then the two kids popped up,” she said. The amateur birder said she identified the owls through the National Audubon Society Field Guide, which shows great horned owls are known for stealing larger birds’ nests.

Kate Fleming, a wildlife biologist with the state Division of Fish & Wildlife said it’s not an uncommon sight. Great horned owls are known to take over unguarded nests, and sometimes prey on the chicks found in them - including osprey. 

“You do what you can to minimize potential nest failure - predation being one of those,” Fleming said. “But it’s not unexpected.”

The platform at Gordons Pond was installed for osprey nesting, Fleming said.

Richard Julian, nature center manager at Cape Henlopen State Park said the platform was installed some time before 1996, and was used on-and-off by osprey until renovations of the Gordons Pond Trail. The platform has not been active for at least 4 years, he said.

To learn more about great horned owls, go to www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/id.

Fun owl fact: Owls are generally thought of as representations of wisdom because the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena had an owl as her symbol, although there are other theories behind this animal stereotype, including a relation to an English nursery rhyme dating back to 1875 called “A Wise Old Owl.” 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.