Superbowl
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For owls that are superb.
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The votes of Round 1 are in, and these are the owls moving on to the tournament:
- Long Eared
- Crested
- Eurasian Eagle
- Great Horned
- Barred
- Oriental Bay
- Barking
- Spectacled
Thanks for all your votes. You made some good choices. Tawny is the one I'm saddest to see go, they look so gentle and loveable, but there is always next year and any other time I find a good picture.
It's time to select the final 8! There are a lot of owls we have to seen very much of, possibly a few we've never had featured before. Let me know who you like, and then I can get our bracket set up.
Rules are simple and the same as before: simply upvote which you like.
Vote for one or two, vote for all, vote for none, the choice is yours.
Downvotes do not count.
Ladies and gentlemen, the choices are yours. Let's see those votes! I'll leave this open for a week again.
#superbowl #owloftheyear24
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From Brynda Ivan
When stopped by this little Screech Owl's hole yesterday morning, it was clear he'd had a meal shortly prior to my arrival. I don't usually crop in this tightly, but there are 3 feathers (2 on his right, 1 on his left) and wanted them to be easier to see in this pic.
I wonder what breakfast was?
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From Karin Skl
Listed as a "Waldohreule," which translates from German to ~~"Wood Owl,"~~ "Wood(Forest) Ear Owl" but many of us would know it as a Long Eared Owl.
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From Mike Rodwell
A set of pics taken on a photoshoot several years ago with the incomparable Andy Rouse. Andy had access to a private estate where this Little Owl was rearing two young in a disused barn. The light was excellent, the dark background was due to framing the shots in front of the large entrance to the barn. No messing around has taken place with the photos other than cropping and a little sharpening in Topaz. Kit used was a Canon 1DX with 400 2.8 lens and either 1.4x or 2x convertor. Hope you like them as much as do...
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From Simon Dentremont
The story goes like this...I was lying in the mud (don't all good bird photography stories start this way?) taking pics of this owl when l realized that there was an amazing pink sunset behind me. So I relocated to a different angle, so could lie in the mud again, and get that beautiful pink sky as the background of my owl pic. Maybe my favorite owl pic this year. And yes, laundry when I got home. I also keep a towel in my SUV for just such an event.
Short-Eared Owi (In French, Hibou des Marais), Feb 2021.
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From Charlotte Byers
Yesterday (with all the rain today, it seems a long time ago) it was so beautiful, especially in the afternoon. We decided to drive to Wylie Slough and the "East 90" in Skagit County. put the owls and other raptors at the East 90 in first. The afternoon sun there made photography a real pleasure. Earlier (about noon to 1:30) we had a few clouds and even sprinkles at Wylie Slough.
(Washington State)
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From Ross Salawitch
Barred Owl descending into a local waterway. Somehow, due to the magic of the camera, the timing of my "pan" resulted in a sharp image of the Owl's face, a rendering of motion in the wings, as well as a blurred background of the Fall foliage. Owls fly silently in part because the trailing edge of the wings bend with the air, reducing turbulence.
12 Nov 2024; Prince George's County
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From Thy Bun
This incredible shot captures a Long-eared Owl in mid- flight, wings spread wide as it glides through the golden light of dusk or dawn. The backlighting accentuates the owl's beautiful feather patterns, casting a warm glow through its wings and revealing intricate details. Its intense yellow eyes are locked forward, creating a mesmerizing, focused gaze that draws the viewer in. The blurred background allows the owl to stand out in sharp detail, emphasizing its graceful yet powerful presence. A truly captivating moment that showcases the elegance and mystery of this nocturnal hunter!
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From Paul Bannick
Bare-legged Owl (Margarobyas lawrenci)
This small, cavity nesting owl lives only on Cuba and the adjacent Ise of Pines. It feeds primarily upon arthropods supplemented by frogs, snakes and birds. This long-legged owl has in the past been considered the same species as the Puerto Rican Owl and as a member of the Megascops genus along with other screech owls.
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From Jamie Bell
Beautiful dawn, little owl looking curious so cracked off a few shots at a distance so not to scare it then left it in peace Nikon d500 Nikon 200-500mm lens ss 1/2500 of sec f5.6 iso 3200 my local nature reserve in the uk
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From Paul Bannick
Migratory Snowy Owls begin arriving at prey-rich winter spots this month! As they fan out from Arctic tundra breeding grounds, most fly south but others may travel east, west or even North. Keep your eyes open! In this photo, two juvenile Snowy Owls compete over the best hunting perch.
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From Faruk Kizil
Weißer Kanada-Uhu Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus canadensis)
The picture was taken at a feeding place of a falconer in Netherlands.
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From NM Wildlife Center
Most of the animals we admit to our hospital come to us because they have encountered one of the many anthropogenic, or human-caused, dangers in the wild. Great Horned Owl 24-910 is no exception: this bird suffered multiple injuries to his wings when he collided with a barbed wire fence. Barbed wire is dangerous to a lot of animals, but owls are especially susceptible. Most owls hunt in the dark or in very low light, and they fly low to the ground as they swoop down to catch their prey. A barbed wire fence can be nearly invisible in the dark and just the right height to snare a raptor as they fly down to catch their dinner.
The fence caused injuries to both of 24-910's wings. Since so much skin was damaged at the injury sites, it was not possible to simply sew the holes closed. Instead, Dr. Avery - with assistance from Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager Stephanie - carefully removed some healthy skin from an uninjured area near the owl's leg, sutured that area closed, and used the skin graft to patch one of the barbed wire injuries on 24-910's wing! The other injuries were patched in a similar way using a hydrocolloid wound dressing instead of a skin graft.
Just a few days after surgery, the skin graft site is healing well and so are the barbed wire injuries on 24-910's wings! The final photo in this series shows the area where the graft was applied and was taken just 4 days after surgery. Barbed wire injuries can be complex to treat and can involve damage to tendons, nerves, and other important structures, but so far we are pleased with 24-910's progress. As you can see in the first photo, this patient definitely still has the fierce attitude of a Great Horned Owl, which is a great sign!
I'll spare you guys the pokey pictures, but the recovery one was too good. The graft looked to be healing very well though, as they mentioned.
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