Owlets in their treetop fortress

Yesterday, while driving along the backroads between Bragg Creek and Cochrane, my wife and I noticed two fluffy balls popping up from a huge nest that I thought was still abandoned.  We could see from the edge of the road that they were Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) owlets so we waited a few minutes to get a sense of that stand of trees and whether the parents were nearby.  I walked to the fence dividing the ditch from the forest and with a long lens coupled to an extender was able to get some nice images without getting these adolescents worked up.

Below is the view of the nest from the road

I have watched this nest for a couple of years and this is the first time I have seen chicks being raised in it.   I hope this pair make this a summer home and return every year.  Now, to see about photographs of the family together…