This image taken last year of a Great Horned Owl at Mud Lake. Well, there will be no nest at Mud Lake this year. The regulars have told me they have not seen a second owl this Spring nor since last Fall.

The only birder who claimed (few weeks ago when I ran into him) to have seen two Great Horned Owls and a nest at Mud Lake is a friend of Bruce DiLabio. I think Dave is his name. He said he saw the owls (I did a double-take and asked if he said owls or owl....he said "owls" and told me they're nesting. I asked if he actually saw the owl on the nest and his reply was yes and said it was just off the main trail.)

Well, I ran into some Mud Lake regulars this week and there is no Great Horned Owl nest at Mud Lake this year. They spoke with Dan Brunton who knows Mud Lake like the back of his hand. He is a naturalist and had input in the design of the stone pathways winding through the woods at Mud Lake. Dan also had a lot of input into the building of the new wood bridge. Dan told these Mud Lake regulars that there is no nest this year. There is only one male Great Horned Owl in the woods at Mud Lake. This info would harmonize with what the regulars have been telling me, that no second owl has been seen since last Fall. My own experience has been that only one owl has been calling with no responding call from a second owl.