Superbowl

Photo by Bryant Aardema

Photo by Mike Lentz

I had spent so much time with this particular Snowy Owl that I was able to get a little bit creative and start doing/attempting pan blur photography once this Owl decided to take flight.

I set my camera to manual mode at 1/60 second shutter speed and panned along with the bird as it flew by with the hope of getting a sharp eye and blurred wings.

By following this technique, you can create dynamic images that convey a sense of motion and speed.

From Wildlife.org

Massive wildfires are harmful to the birds, but low-severity fires benefit their habitats

Massive wildfires are harmful to Mexican spotted owls, but frequent, low-severity fires benefit them, researchers found. The finding suggests that returning the historical fire regime to the landscape can benefit the owls while reducing the risk of catastrophic fires.

“We have very little hard data showing us how Mexican spotted owls respond to fire, which is a need-to-know piece of information for managers in the Southwest,” said Gavin Jones, a research ecologist with the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and the lead author of the study published in Fire Ecology.

The Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) is a threatened species that inhabits forests and canyonlands in the southwestern United States. These owls often live in forests that are at high risk of stand-replacing fire. Yet conservationists have been concerned that efforts to reduce wildlife risk—like thinning or prescribed fire—could alter the forest characteristics the owls depend on for their survival.

Jones and his co-authors collected and analyzed eight years of monitoring data from Mexican spotted owl breeding pairs. They found owl pairs occupied sites at higher rates when these sites experienced more frequent fires in the previous three decades.

In contrast, they found owl pairs persisted at lower rates at sites that experienced more extensive, high-severity fire.

The research suggests that management activities intended to reduce megafire risk—like prescribed burning and mechanical thinning— will likely promote both Mexican spotted owl conservation and more resilient forest landscapes.

“Mexican spotted owls appear to be well-adapted to historical frequent-fire regimes,” Jones said. “If we can get that type of fire back on the landscape, it should bode well for the species and its recovery.”

Photos by Stephen Bellingan (Facebook)

Urikaruus, South Africa

From The Raptor Trust

Eastern Screech Owls often go through a 'catastrophic molt" which means that they shed all their feathers at once. Molting helps birds like Weird Alice shed feather parasites, grow in a new 'do, and get ready for migration, if that's what their species does. Weird Alice will look a little silly for a while, but when her feathers grow back she will be her normal beautiful self.

I'm going back here in 2 weeks, so I hope to get to see her looking extra weird!

Photo by Ryan Humphrey

A young Long Eared Owl showing off its third eyelids. These are called nictitating membranes. They add extra protection to the eyes from physical damage and keep them most during flight.

Photo by Ryan Burg (Facebook)

Dreaming of cooler days and nights.

Photos by Devin Pitts [Facebook]

A trio of recently fledged Screech Owls.

Photos from Limpokwena Nature Reserve (Facebook)

King of the African Waterways: The Pel's Fishing Owl

Here at Limpokwena, we're lucky to have two resident breeding pairs of these fascinating and rare birds. Come and view their nesting sites in person now during their nesting season.

Reigning supreme along African rivers and lakes, the Pel's fishing owl is no ordinary predator! Found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, this giant owl boasts a wingspan of a whopping 1.8 meters (almost 6 feet). Despite their size, they're stealthy hunters with incredible hearing, able to hear a fish splash from miles away!

Listen closely at night, and you might just hear their booming calls.

Rüstjer Forst, Germany, June

R7 + Sigma 150-600mm C

Well, they are owls in a barn, just not Barn Owls.

They are very Great Horned Owls.

Photos by Matthew Kirby (Facebook)

Photos shared by Owl Pages (Facebook)

This young Dusky Eagle Owl does not look be enthused for picture day.

Found this random little owl while looking for new content.

I do believe this is another Saw Whet.

It's from one of those weird feeds that's full of random questionable things, but you all like the owls in towels so I'll make an exception for unverified content.

I also noticed it had a very unusual set of tags. I'm not sure what type of audience they are going for here... Facebook feeds can be very strange.

Photo from Zoran Vidrih (Facebook)

Our only owl that spends it's winters in Africa. The Eurasian scops owl (Otus scops) Slovenia, April 2024

From A Place Called Hope (Facebook)

Just give a hoot and take down the soccer nets when not in use...

This Great Horned Owl is lucky he was found, rescued, and not broken from his ordeal. He is suffering from some soft tissue injuries but should make a full recovery.

A special thanks to Dr Brenton from the Country Companions Veterinary Hospital in Bethany who rescued him. She will be pleased to help with his release when he is ready to go home. Hopefully the net will no longer be in his territory.

We need to do better.. for all of our wildlife. Simple safety checks in our own backyards really makes a difference.

Photos by Dan Minicucci (Facebook)

This trio of young barreds continue to be very photogenic and one venturing out to hunt on the forest floor.

Photo by Mike Lentz (Facebook)

Sibling cuddle bugs! These two sibling recently fledged Northern Saw Whet owls certainly gave us a show. In between naps, they would nip and groom each other as well. When they groom each others feathers, this is called "allopreeing". This is also a behavior that may come in handy during the breeding season. :) These Owls know how to keep their plumage in tip top shape!

Photo by Hannu Sievänen (Facebook)

Pearl-spotted owlet (Glaucidium perlatum) from Botswana. The pearl-spotted owlet occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly widespread across savanna in southern Africa, across north and central Namibia, south to southern limit of arid bushveld and woodland in south Namibia. Their occurrence continues further north through Botswana and Zimbabwe up to Sudan and west to Senegal.

Another adorable baby Saw Whet for you all...

Photo by Ryan Humphrey Facebook

Saw Whet Owlet.
Another cell phone shot actually keep
Even threw Vignette on that bitch 🤪

Photo from Tony Woof (Flickr)

Photo by Sriram Udhaya [Facebook]

He sees you, but do you see him?

Photo by Cynthia Rand [Facebook]

I was determined to find a Screech Owl nest this spring, after finding several last year.

To set the stage, a small group of photographers were doing their best to keep track of some mating Screech Owls that were bouncing between tree cavities this spring.

But after several weeks the owls went silent and seemed to disappear. But couldn't stop thinking about those Owls, they had to be around because they had been mating in the area. So I stopped by whenever I had free time. And very early one morning I heard the beautiful sound of a baby owl!

But the call stopped as quickly as it started. I looked around for an hour but couldn't find the source. I went back that night, and together with a photographer friend we found where the call was coming from! It was a baby Screech stll in a nest cavity! As we began photographing it in the dark a second one popped up beside the first!

We told the small group who been tracking the owls earlier that spring about the nest and together we got to photograph the babies. But not for long, they were ready to fledge! And they did, starting the next day. They left the nest one day apart from each other. We found the nest just in time! This was a case of teamwork at its finest!

Photo by Ryan Humphrey [Facebook]

Saw Whet Owlets are probably the most fun and animated baby owls I've ever watched. Took them months to stop the major head bobbing and body dances. It could be early morning, mid afternoon, or evening, and they would be moving around, preening, stretching, head bobbing, and doing the twist. These babies do not sleep all day long as many Adult Saw Whets do. They would snooze for an hour or so and then become alert again.

Photos by Scott Winkler [Facebook]

I finally got around to processing the pictures of the Great Horned Owl that took in West Chester, OH on 6/13/24. I have not seen him since that day! I loved the different profiles he gave me showing his personality!!

From Skywatch Bird Rescue [Facebook]

Guess who? We have another feathered face to introduce you to! This fledgling Eastern Screech Owl has a sad story, but a happier ending.

This owl was found on the ground as a nestling by a member of the public, causing them to worry that he was injured or orphaned. While the finder was well-meaning and wanted to help, rather than calling us or another facility for advice, they decided to try to raise him at home for several weeks. They then brought him to us, assuring us that he was "almost ready for release" which, unfortunately, he was far from. As soon as we examined him, we noticed that he had no fear of humans and was heavily imprinted on them, immediately trying to preen and perch on us.

While this owl is physically normal aside from needing some nutritional corrections, this mental "affliction" deems him non-releasable and stripped him of his freedom to live the wild life he deserves. He never learned how to communicate with his species, or how his species hunts or evades predators. He never learned what different prey looks like and was initially scared of the food we offered. He instead thinks that he is a human.

Please, if you ever find a baby bird that you believe is orphaned, call us or your closest licensed facility right away first to easily avoid a similar mistake. While hundreds of baby birds need help each year, thousands do not. We can talk you through your specific situation and alleviate your concerns. It is not only illegal to try to raise a wild bird at home, but it is unethical to put our own emotions or attachments to a bird over what is in their best interest. This owl is incredibly lucky that he does not have any physical deformities, as the majority of finder-raised birds do not develop properly, and do not survive to adulthood.