Where Is The Wildlife Archives

Jun 5th Great Horned Owl Family Loves Lowe’s!

Have you seen a Great Horned Owl up close and personal? Well here’s your chance. For the second year in a row, in the shadow of Pikes Peak, a pair of Great Horned Owls have taken up residence on a pallet of Ice Melt at the Lowe’s Garden Center at University Village shopping center, Colorado Springs. Seems these owls who normally have a habit of stealing nesting sites from other birds, have decided to call Lowe’s home. There are also a family of Great Horned Owls in residence at the Lowe’s Garden Center on Constitution and Powers in Colorado Springs.

Two weekends ago, we went to visit the owls and see what all the commotion was about. Employees of Lowe’s spotted the owl eggs months ago and contacted the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The three owlets are now nearly as big as their parents and oh so cute! But DO NOT TOUCH THE OWLS. Not only is this a warning, but it’s the law. The great horned owls are not endangered but along with all owls, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the capture, killing or possession of them without a permit.

An employee told us that behind the Lowe’s are a wide open fields and access to a creek. Perfect hunting grounds for the owls. The two feet tall mother owl watches the owlets by day and the father takes over parenting duties by night. When the owlets fly down to the floor, the employees cordon off the area until the birds return to the rafters. Safety for all since according to the Nature Conservancy reports a great horned owl can extend its talons. As with all wildlife, it is wise to keep a safe distance from owlets and their nests. Great horned owls are not afraid to attack if they perceive a threat to their family.

The owlets will remain with their parents for another two or three months, then fly off to find a place of their own. Perhaps another Lowe’s will be in their future?

Not the first time great horned owls have called home improvement centers home. In 2009, an owl family selected a Home Depot in Prescott Valley, AZ. The pair of great horned owls nested in the outdoor canopy area atop a bag of soil. In 2014 great horned owls staked their claim in a Lowe’s in Omaha, NE., and in 2016, A great horned owl family nested in a Phoenix, AZ at an unspecified home improvement store. Guess word got out on the Great Horned Owl Network that home improvement centers make great nesting sites. LOL

Did you know there are psychological benefits of wildlife viewing? According to Where Is The Wildlife. Nature produces an emotional response of awe, wonder and privilege that unlocks ecocentric and anthropomorphic connections to wild animals and a feeling that is ‘beyond words’. There is time to stand and stare and contemplate. Nature and wildlife are not only spatial events but also temporal ones. In this liminal, embodied space of a wildlife encounter, socially constructed modern fast time dissipates and is replaced by stillness and nature’s time whereby participants are totally absorbed in the spectacle. All thought and action is concentrated on the moment. This provokes a deep sense of well-being that transcends the initial encounter leading to spiritual fulfilment and psychological health benefits. Yep, this is why our family goes camping!

So if you’re in the market for flowers, home improvement supplies, or an owl sighting that could lead to spiritual fulfilment and psychological health benefits, Lowe’s at University Village, Colorado Springs is the place for you!