Juvenile Great Horned Owl

A pair of Great Horned Owls nested in a tree in the parking area at the store where my daughter works and she and her coworkers have been able to get a few photos of the fluffy little guy.

During the early nestling period, the dad provided all of the food for the family. As the little owlet grew and could be left alone for short periods, the mom would go out hunting alongside her mate.

In this photo the baby is still in the nest, which he is rapidly outgrowing!

A few days after the photo above was taken he began hopping around on branches in his nest tree and it became easier to take a clear photo without all the twigs in the way.

He is developing flight feathers, tail feathers, and ear tufts as he transitions into juvenile plumage.

The ground under the nest tree is littered with partial skeletons, undigestible bits, and owl pellets. It's rather unsightly!

The crows didn't see him as a threat while he was a baby, but now that the adults are teaching him how to fly the crows are ready to chase him away from their territory

Crows and owls are both highly intelligent, but they are definitely not friends. ​The crows use a survival tactic called mobbing where they (and other songbirds) aggressively harass owls to drive them out of their territory.

I wish I could invite them to move here! I have a big rodent food supply in my yard and seldom see any crows!