Jeff The Drunk wrote:
....

That's odd. Or is mine odd? Either way I was told and always believed
that a big Owl would scare smaller birds.

Out in the open along towards dusk time I'm sure they do--but owls are
nocturnal and generally move in daytime only to avoid being themselves
disturbed, not to do damage to anything else. Other than that, as far
as I can tell having watched them for 50 years or so I don't think they
pay any attention to the other at all. I'm quite sure the fake
stationary owls have no benefit after the first change in a location for
a few days at most for most birds, anyway. An active dummy that did
something towards dusk that might look threatening, maybe, but other
than that, I think not, meself based on my observations.

The horned owls roost in the cedars by day and only begin to rustle
about about a half-hour or so before sunset; then just at dusk they'll
depart on the night's adventure. They'll be back on one of their
favorite roosting spots for disposing of the kill at daybreak (top of
the silo is one, a particular power pole is also a popular alternative)
and then not long after the sun is well up they'll be gone only to be
seen during the day if happen to get too close to where they are that
particular day and disturb them.

The barn owls are much more reclusive -- except for the pair currently
nesting in the barn, one rarely sees them at all; they do not come out
until well after it is really dark and they're back in their nesting
sites well before daybreak as well. Only because the loft in the barn
is open does it disturb them when go in there. The upper levels of the
elevator are only accessed on rare occasions when actually have some
need but last year there were at least three different pairs raising
owlets I saw and I don't know how many other pairs might have been back
in areas that are not easily seen w/o effort. Once in a while if come
home late at night will see the outline of one flit by as the headlights
disturb it, but mostly we know they're there by the pellet droppings and
sounds they make during the day.

OTOH, horned owls are territorial and only one pair occupies a general
area at a time. The young leave after about a year to find their own
territories while the barn owls seemingly are pretty convivial and are
limited only by nesting sites and food supplies, apparently.

Interestingly also w/ the horned owls, the male and female mate
permanently, but do not have any association with each other except
starting in the mid-winter roughly courting season and thru nesting.
The brood is not all of the same age, either, they are "stairstepped"
apart by a couple weeks to month--quite a sight to see three or four in
a nest, each a bigger copy of the next younger...

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