Two great horned owls returned to nest in a tree on campus and have been seen throughout the following five weeks.

Students initially saw the owls flying around in the early morning a few months ago. They eventually repurposed a nest in one of the trees and the female owl has stayed in the nest since.

“She started sitting in the nest probably about a month back, maybe five weeks back, consistently, and did not move out,” Library and Tech Center Information Systems Operator Bobby Morris said. “Usually, I know that they’re around because I can hear them hooting in the morning, right before dawn.”

This hasn’t been the first time great horned owls have been seen here at Creek; in 2021, a baby owl was spotted on campus. The pair has returned most years since.

“Probably three or four years ago, there was a baby great horned owl sitting out on the quad between Fine Arts and East that had gotten knocked out of its nest,” science teacher Alexandra Bak said, “Security set up a perimeter around the baby bird because it couldn’t fly away on its own, and called a rescue team to come out and get them.”

Around spring break, the female owl was seen sitting in the nest; spectators assumed she was incubating. 

“We think she was sitting on eggs,” Bak said. “It’s possible that either something happened to the eggs, or perhaps the eggs were duds.”

Recently, the owls have been seen less and less, likely because they’re focused on incubating and protecting their young.

“It was pretty cool to watch them as they were going through their parenting cycle,” Morris said.