(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

Spring is in the air and the great horned owls are having babies, but the bird families are often hard to spot.

Hobbyist photographer Rachael Sdouts quietly snapped photos of a fluffy family she found in a rural area in Kamloops and calls her chance encounter “a gift.”

“These large predator birds are secretive and hard to find so you feel blessed when you stumble upon them,” she said.

A few days ago during a walk in the woods, Sdouts came across the mother owl and three owlets and observed them from a distance, using a long camera lens, under the strict eye of the mother bird.

“Mom was watching every move I made but she didn’t shift or puff herself up, all of them were just silently watching,” she said. “I got the sense if momma wanted me to take off she would have easily made that happen. It was thrilling, I was in awe.”

Mother great horned owl watches Kamloops photographer.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Rachael Sdouts

Great horned owls are common across North America and live in many different types of habitats from deserts to wetlands, forests and grasslands, according to All About Birds.

They start nesting in late winter and early spring and the eggs hatch roughly a month later.

“These three owlets are growing well and I hope they continue,” Sdouts said. “I’m blessed to live rural and I’m passionate about wildlife. I love showing animals in their habitats, we have such an amazing region with so many different ecosystems.”

Great horned owls are powerful predators with large thick bodies, excellent hearing and night vision, deep hooting calls and spine crushing grips.

They have long, earlike tufts and are covered in soft, insulating feathers that help them fly quietly. Their short wide wings help them maneuver easily through the trees. The owls are mottled gray-brown in colour with reddish brown faces and their colours vary from region to region.

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They parent in pairs and are known to be good, dutiful parents to their young.

Hard to spot mother owl with three owlets, Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Rachael Sdouts

Great horned owlets in Kamloops, 2020.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lyn MacDonald

Great horned owlet in Kamloops area, 2021.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Doug Giles

Three great horned owlets in Vernon.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Sylvia Voets

Great horned owlet sleeps in tree in Vernon.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Sylvia Voets

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