At McGee’s, we love showing our guests the beauty of the Atchafalaya Basin and it’s bountiful wildlife!
Back in mid-January, we discovered the nest of a Great Horned Owl during one of our swamp tours. Out in the distance, our airboat tour guide noticed a large owl leaving an isolated cypress tree stump. Our guide asked the guests onboard if they’d like to take a detour and go exploring. With a resounding ”Yes!” from the crowd, our guide pulled closely and quietly near the stump. Looking down from above and into the stump, what they found inside were two owl eggs!
Since that time, we’ve visited the stump on numerous swamp tours to check on the well-being of the nest. The eggs hatched two weeks after discovery, in late January. Unfortunately a couple weeks after birth, we saw that one of the chicks was no longer in the nest. However, since then we have noticed that the lone chick is doing quite well and is growing quickly! When you’re the only mouth to feed, it has its advantages.
We look forward to the day when this chick is strong enough to test its wings and begin its life exploring the swamp!
We hope you’ll enjoy some of these images from our most recent visit to the nest.