By Benjamin Minch, Staff Writer
Mile Square Park is home to many different animals such as squirrels, opossums and various types of fish and small birds, but no one would expect to find two baby Great Horned Owls in the park!
The owl must have come to the park for breeding season, which is in the spring, to lay their eggs. These two owls were first spotted on May 2 sitting on the ground. Some kind fellow however, moved them to a tree in order to keep them safer from the threats at the park.
Great Horned Owls are one of the most common owls in North America, but are rare to see because they are nocturnal, meaning they only come out at night to hunt.
Great Horned Owls, when adults, will actually feed on other predatory birds such as Peregrine Falcons and other owls, as well as rodents. Their grip strength is also so strong that it takes twenty-eight pounds of force to open them. These birds are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
The owls probably came to the park because of the abundance of food such as ducks, squirrels and opossums. These animals are so abundant in the park because of the protected pond for the ducks that is loaded with fish. There are also many oak trees for squirrels to feed on, creating a mass species richness in the park. This abundance of prey has attracted these predators to the park, and we should see a decline in squirrel and duck numbers soon.
These owls will probably leave the park soon, however, because they prefer environments with an abundance of large trees such as forests. Hopefully they will stay at the park so we as a community can admire them and get a glimpse into the world of the owl.
