DEAR JOAN: We have lived in a quiet residential neighborhood very near downtown for 42 years.
Yesterday, a murder of crows was making a terrible racket in our back garden. When we investigated there was a huge great horned owl perched in our next door neighbor’s tree. It was being attacked by the crows. It flew to an adjacent oak and managed to move under the canopy so the crows couldn’t continue to bombard him. It stayed in that oak most of the day.
We chased the crows away by tossing a fake dead crow on the roof. It really caused a stir and they all flew away immediately.
We’ve never seen such an amazing animal here before. Is this a new phenomenon? Where could it possibly be living? We hope he comes back.
By the way, no more crows around here today.
— Sharon McCray, Campbell
DEAR SHARON: My first experience with a great horned owl was when one chased a rabbit down into a basement window well at my sister’s house in Denver, and then couldn’t get out. They are amazing, fierce and beautiful animals.
The great horned owl is common in the Bay Area, and this one probably wandered into your neighborhood in search of food. They eat a wide variety of creatures ranging in size from insects to skunks. They also eat a lot of rats, which is a good reason to welcome them into the neighborhood and to avoid using rat poisons.
The crows get defensive when they spot one in “their” territory. Despite the risk, the crows will mob the owl in an attempt to drive it away.
The great horned takes over abandoned nests or builds its own in cottonwood, juniper, pine, beech and other trees, but they also will nest in dead trees and snags. The owl might not actually live in your neighborhood, but hunt there.
With the crows frightened away, you might see more of the owl. It’s nocturnal, but it’s not unusual to see them out in the daytime. Listen for their calls, a stuttering series of deep hoots, hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo.
DEAR JOAN: Your readers are amazing! Thanks to their support, in four weeks we’ve received 219 donations totaling $54,188. That brings our total raised to $417,407 out of the $500,000 project costs and 83% of our goal. To permanently protect and steward Krane Pond, Save Mount Diablo needs to raise $82,593 by Christmas.
The Krane Pond property, which is 6.69 acres, contains one of the largest ponds on the north side of Mount Diablo, which is critical for wildlife.
Send donations to Save Mount Diablo, 201 N. Civic Drive, Suite 190, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, or https://savemountdiablo.org/donate. Be sure to mention that your donation is for Krane Pond.
— Ted Clement and Seth Adams, Save Mount Diablo
DEAR TED AND SETH: I always say that my readers are the best. Let’s keep it going.
DEAR READERS: Halloween is fast approaching. If you’re decorating this year, please avoid using those fake, synthetic spider webs. They are petroleum based, don’t biodegrade and can be death traps for birds and other small animals that get tangled and can’t escape. There are plenty of other options out there to bring on the scare.
Animal Life runs on Mondays. Reach Joan Morris at [email protected].