{"id":13665,"date":"2014-01-19T05:39:59","date_gmt":"2014-01-19T12:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=13665"},"modified":"2025-05-08T12:30:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T17:30:24","slug":"a-pair-of-great-horned-owls-with-their-eyes-on-the-montana-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/01\/19\/a-pair-of-great-horned-owls-with-their-eyes-on-the-montana-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"Pair of Great Horned Owls with their eyes on the Montana Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PairPair of Great Horned Owls with their eyes on the Montana sky – Nikon D200, tripod mounted, f6.3, 1\/400, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

These\u00a0Great Horned Owls were photographed one evening in Glacier County, Montana as they perched in an opening of an old granary.<\/p>\n

The mated pair had young in another nearby farm building that I also photographed and perhaps they were just taking a break from the owlets or soaking up the warming rays of the sun.<\/p>\n

As I photographed them I saw both Great Horned Owls turn their alert eyes to the sky and although I remember looking up into the sky myself I recall I didn’t see anything but the much keener eyes of the owls probably did.<\/p>\n

I know that there were Golden Eagles around and perhaps there was one high up that the owls were keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n

Great Horned Owls begin nesting early in the season and I wonder if these owls will breed soon.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Great Horned Owl photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I photographed them I saw both Great Horned Owls turn their alert eyes to the sky and although I remember looking up into the sky myself I recall I didn’t see anything but the much keener eyes of the owls probably did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,860,209,12],"tags":[4051,4203,4049,4108,2240,3967,294,2415],"class_list":["post-13665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-glacier-county","category-great-horned-owls","category-montana","tag-adults","tag-bubo-virginianus","tag-granary","tag-great-horned-owl","tag-mated-pair","tag-owl","tag-owls","tag-owls-of-montana"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owls-mia-mcpherson-montana-1949.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-3yp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7658,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/02\/28\/a-pair-of-great-horned-owls-in-montana\/","url_meta":{"origin":13665,"position":0},"title":"Pair of Great Horned Owls in Montana","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This mated pair of Great Horned Owls were resting in the opening of an old granary in Glacier County, Montana when I photographed them in June of 2009.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great Horned Owls in a granary in northern Montana, Glacier County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-pair-mia-mcpherson-1912.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-pair-mia-mcpherson-1912.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-pair-mia-mcpherson-1912.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-pair-mia-mcpherson-1912.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11157,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/11\/25\/missing-montanas-great-horned-owls\/","url_meta":{"origin":13665,"position":1},"title":"Missing Montana’s Great Horned Owls","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Great Horned Owls and old wood just seem to go together, the warm tones of the wood are a great compliment to the same tones in the plumage of Great Horned Owls.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mated pair of Great Horned Owls perched on an old granary in Montana, Glacier County\u00a0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owls-mates-mia-mcpherson-1970.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owls-mates-mia-mcpherson-1970.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owls-mates-mia-mcpherson-1970.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owls-mates-mia-mcpherson-1970.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7848,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/03\/14\/great-horned-owlet-on-a-montana-farm\/","url_meta":{"origin":13665,"position":2},"title":"Great Horned Owlet on a Montana Farm","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"People are fascinated by owls, I know I am. It might be that owls have forward facing eyes like this Great Horned Owlet. Those eyes truly draw a person in.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great Horned Owlet resting in Glacier County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-chick-mia-mcpherson-2010.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-chick-mia-mcpherson-2010.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-chick-mia-mcpherson-2010.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-chick-mia-mcpherson-2010.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7370,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/02\/02\/great-horned-owl-fledgling-in-a-montana-granary-window\/","url_meta":{"origin":13665,"position":3},"title":"Great Horned Owl fledgling in a Montana granary window","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Currently throughout the breeding range of Great Horned Owls the owls have either begun to nest or have nested already. 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