Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Live from the dock
Active 30 minutes across 3 days since August 2026. Last heard on September 19.
In our recordsHear the call
When you'll hear it
Most often heard around sunrise, 5 to 7 a.m. Quiet overnight.
Minutes active by hour, as a table
| 12 AM | 1 AM | 2 AM | 3 AM | 4 AM | 5 AM | 6 AM | 7 AM | 8 AM | 9 AM | 10 AM | 11 AM | NOON | 1 PM | 2 PM | 3 PM | 4 PM | 5 PM | 6 PM | 7 PM | 8 PM | 9 PM | 10 PM | 11 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes active | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Across the year
Present from mid-August through September. First heard this year on August 19.
Dock records
- First heard
- August 19, 2026
- Busiest day
- 15 minutes on August 19, 2026
- Earliest call
- 5:01 a.m.
- Days detected
- 3 of 183 days monitored
What our dock mics have heard
The Great Horned Owl has only turned up on 3 of the 183 days we've been recording, so this is a short page. Every day it's on:
- August 19, 2026: 15 minutes active, first call at 5:48 a.m.
- August 28, 2026: 3 minutes active, first call at 5:52 a.m.
- September 19, 2026: 12 minutes active, first call at 5:01 a.m.
We haven't heard one since September 19, 2026, 52 days ago. If the mics catch it again, that day gets added to this list.
Heard alongside
Birds that keep turning up in the same hours as the Great Horned Owl. We pick them by overlap, so a bird that's around all day doesn't make the list just by being everywhere.
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird: calling in 3 of those 6 hours.
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo: calling in 2 of those 6 hours.
- Great Blue Heron: calling in 2 of those 6 hours.
- Brown Thrasher: calling in 2 of those 6 hours.
- Osprey: calling in 2 of those 6 hours.
Common questions
What time of day do you hear a Great Horned Owl at Watts Bar Lake?
Most often heard around sunrise, 5 to 7 a.m. Quiet overnight. These are the hours the dock microphones detect the Great Horned Owl most often.
What time of year is the Great Horned Owl at Watts Bar Lake?
Present from mid-August through September. First heard this year on August 19. That window is when the Great Horned Owl has been audible from the Watts Bar Lake dock.
Has the Great Horned Owl been heard at Watts Bar Lake?
Yes. Active 30 minutes across 3 days since August 2026. Last heard on September 19.
About the bird
The great horned owl, also known as the tiger owl or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 Read more on Wikipedia →
