"The great horned owl is a very early nester, often laying her eggs and rearing her young in snowy, sub-freezing temperatures. The eggs are laid over a period of days which is evidenced by the disparity in size of the youngest and oldest owls. Presumably, this helps ensure the survival of the strongest young when prey is scarce. In lean times, the largest of the offspring will consume most of the food, either starving th eothers, or forcing them out of the nest. Cruel though this may seem, it is nature's way of controlling population and quality of the species.

Most of the incubation is done by the female, who leaves the nest only occasionally and will sometimes be coated in snow as she covers her young. When exposed to the cold, young owls suffer and shiver, and so, require the female's constant attention. The male provides her and her brood with food, and is very adept and attentive in his responsibilities.
Horned owls do not build their own nests, using instead old hawks' or squirrels' nests, or now and then, th ehigh broken stump of a tree. A couple of years ago, in a dead elm, I saw a nest similar to the one in my painting; but the one portrayed is a beech tree I designed for the purpose.

I like to make complicated paintings of animals that would be very difficult or impossible to photograph. I like the animals to be in action, or to suggest an attitude that gives the subject character, and the picture an element of excitement. For instance, if th eadult owl in my paiting were to suddenly fold up her extended wing, the action, and a primary design element would disappear, along with my interest in the composition." - George McLean

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