From The International Owl Center

Alice the Great Horned Owl had her annual checkup at The Raptor Center today. Since she is retired and doesn't go anywhere anymore, this 7- hour round trip is her big adventure of the year. She's almost 28 years old, and has arthritis and cataracts (maybe some of you can relate). In this photo you can see the yellow part of her iris is also impacted by age, so lots of black specks show through.

The other owl staff get an on-site vet visit later this month, thanks to The Raptor Center's mobile clinic. Alice goes there, though, to get the highest quality radiographs to monitor her arthritis and other age- related issues.

Thanks to all of our wonderful donors who help make it possible for our owls to get excellent vet care.

From a June 2023 post:

Alice the Great Horned Owl got her bill and talons trimmed (coped) today. Since she has gotten much more owly with age, we try to minimize how often we do this awful thing to her. Of all of our owls, she is by far the most difficult to cope, between putting up a fight and screaming bloody murder. She should feel much better now that it is done (and we do too!)

You can see Alice's age by the dark flecking in her yellow irises. In person we could also easily see the milky color of cataracts clouding her lenses to some degree. She doesn't get around like she used to, and is on cosequin for cats for her arthritis. She is 26 years old now, still with no lack of self confidence!

From Nicole Seward

When we finally got some snow I went out hoping for a dream shot to get a Long-eared Owl in the snow. This Owl decided not to shake off any snow and just let it pile on its face as the snow came down.

From KSL News Utah

25 JAN 2025

SPRINGVILLE - Nigel the screech owl is back home after getting stuck in a downspout at the Springville Museum of Art about a week ago.

The city of Springville said on Facebook that the museum's facilities team came to the rescue and got the owl out of harm's way. Then, Nigel the screech owl was rehabilitated for a week at the Great Basin Wildlife Rescue.

Finally, Nigel was released back to the grounds of the museum where he lives on Friday.

"During the summer months, it is not uncommon to find these little owls throughout the grounds at the museum," Springville City said.

The city said the screech owl is native to Utah, and they expressed gratitude to the people who helped with Nigel's rescue and rehab.

From Larry Strack

Great Grey Owl looking right thru me. It was scanning the area beneath this tree...and all of a sudden it flew a few feet and grabbed a Vole and took it into the woods to enjoy its meal.

From Scott's Photography Adventures

The rarest of the morphs of Eastern Screech Owl.. the brown morph with a bloody beak!

From Francios Potvin

Discovering the Hawk Owl in the wild north of Quebec in winter.

Northern Quebec in winter is nature in its raw state: snowy conifers, a biting cold anda silence that can only be found in the heart of wildlife.

Moments like these remind us how precious our wildlife is. Protecting these species means ensuring that magical encounters like these can happen for future generations. Preserving their winter habitat is also preserving Quebec's natural heritage.

From Raven Ridge Wildlife Center

THE BIG NEWS!

As many of our supporters know, our trusty Honda Element, the official vehicle of Raven Ridge Wildlife Center, has seen better days. It has served us well and provided reliable transportation for our ambassadors at events throughout Pennsylvania. However, after much consideration, we have decided it's time to retire this beloved vehicle, as the costs of maintenance have surpassed its value.

We were excited to share that Raven Ridge Wildlife Center received a generous grant from the Constellation Energy Foundation! We cannot express enough gratitude for this overwhelming support. This grant has allowed us to purchase a top-of-the-line cargo transit van, ensuring the safe transport of our cherished animal ambassadors.

This new van will open up incredible opportunities for us to reach out to assisted living facilities, schools, after-school programs, special events, home-schooling groups, and beyond. After months of hard work and creativity with our amazing Graphic Designer, M. Scott Oatman, and our very own Photographer, Dawn Rise Ekdahl for the amazing images. Now, our official Raven Ridge Wildlife Center vehicle has been brought to life! We had no idea the extent of teamwork and coordination that was required to achieve such a remarkable outcome.

Lastly, we would like to thank the generous individual who wishes to remain anonymous for their vital contribution that made this project possible. Our striking new van is sure to turn heads! Keep an eye out for us, and please give us a wave when you see us on the road!

The Owl Orphanage Velddrif

Our surrogate mom, between her adopted children.

From Richard Goluch

Tawny-browed owl (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.-image taken in Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Found in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, the TBO is named after its lightly colored eyebrows. At about 44 cm, it's about the size of a Barn, Long Eared, or Short Eared Owl. Not much else is out there about this review owl species

From Ryan Humphrey

From South Florida Wildlife Center

This Burrowing Owl (24-7518) was found in Miami Gardens at a construction site.

When it arrived at our hospital, the vet staff found an old fracture to its left wing and swelling in its right wing. It was suspected that the owl was caught by something or got itself entangled somewhere.

Burrowing owls are one of the smallest owl species in the world. This species is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. If you find a Burrowing owl in need, be sure to contact your local wildlife rehabilitation center, for more specific questions about the species, visit projectperch.org! Thanks for watching (these are screenshots from the video), follow us for updates about this owl's journey to recovery.

From William Ko

Buffy Fish Owl

The owl, perched on a weathered branch, slowly turned its head, its round, yellow eyes locking onto mine with an unblinking gaze.

Jan 24

Hampstead Wetlands Reserve, Singapore

From Sasha Matíc

A pygmy owl on the lookout.

Sweden, 9 Nov 2024

Canon EOS R6 Mark

Tamron 100- 600mm g2

1/250s, f/6.3, 600mm, ISO1600

From Montana Wild Wings

As the cold weather of late has had some of thinking about spring and warmer temperatures, it was a good reminder that some of us like Tika our snowy owl absolutely love this weather! Snowy owls are not here all the time, but sometimes we see them in the winter as they explore lower latitudes than the arctic tundra. They are the largest owl by weight, being fierce hunters having powerful feet with extra-long talons used for hunting animals that can fight back. Lemmings are a favorite, but rabbits and hares make a dandy meal too. The dark barring indicates that Tika is a female. The barring is thought to help with camouflage as a female snowy would protect a nest which is on the ground. A mature male would be mostly white. She was struck by a vehicle near the Sportsman Bridge in Bigfork that cost her a broken wing that we could not repair enough for her to be an adequate flier to hunt anymore, so she became one of our education birds. She has lots of opinions which she asserts on a regular basis. When the temps get cold - she seems to say "buck up buttercup - this is the best time of the year!!"

Stay warm and thanks for your support! For more information on snowy owls - check out information at the Owl Research Institute site - they have been studying snowy owls for a long time and are a great resource!

Thank you Dan Masliah for sharing the beautiful picture of Tika!

First some hints, written upside-down since I can't quite get spoilers (":::") to work correctly:

• HINT 1: ¡spɹᴉq pǝǝpuᴉ ǝɹɐ ʎǝɥ┴
• HINT 2: sǝʎǝ ƃuᴉɔɐɟ-pɹɐʍɹoɟ ǝʌɐɥ ʎǝɥʇ 'slʍo ǝʞᴉ˥
• HINT 3: ɹǝpɹo sʇᴉ ɟo ʇsǝᴉʌɐǝɥ ǝɥʇ sᴉ ǝuo sᴉɥʇ puɐ 'ssǝlʇɥƃᴉlɟ ǝɹɐ ʎǝɥʇ 'slʍo ʇsoɯ ǝʞᴉlu∩
• HINT 4: spuɐlsᴉ puɐlɐǝZ ʍǝN ɹnoɟ oʇ ǝʌᴉʇɐu ǝɹɐ ʎǝɥ┴
• HINT 5: ¡ǝɯɐu uoɯɯoɔ ɹᴉǝɥʇ ɟo ʇɹɐd sᴉ ,,lʍo,, pɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ʇnq 'ʇoɹɹɐd ɟo ǝdʎʇ ɐ ǝɹ,ʎǝɥʇ 'ʇɔɐɟ uI
• HINT 6: ōdāʞāʞ sɐ uʍouʞ ǝsᴉʍɹǝɥʇo ǝɹɐ ʎǝɥ┴

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Okay then ... *drumroll* ... they are:

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The Kākāpō, or Owl Parrot😀

Unfortunately, these cuties are critically endangered, with only ~224 currently left, living across four NZ islands. It seems that introduced predators (mainly cats, rats and weasels) almost wiped this species out, but in the mid-90's, a desperation program was launched to save them.

The kākāpō cannot fly, having relatively short wings for its size and lacking the keel on the sternum (breastbone), where the flight muscles of other birds attach. It uses its wings for balance and to break its fall when leaping from trees. Unlike many other land birds, the kākāpō can accumulate large amounts of body fat. --WP

The kākāpō has a well-developed sense of smell, which complements its nocturnal lifestyle. It can distinguish between odours while foraging, a behaviour reported in only one other parrot species. The kākāpō has a large olfactory bulb ratio (longest diameter of the olfactory bulb/longest diameter of the brain) indicating that it does, indeed, have a more developed sense of smell than other parrots.

Pretty dang interesting to me, as birds in general tend to have a poor sense of smell & taste AFAIK.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%81k%C4%81p%C5%8D

From 8 World News Singapore

Original:

本地品种猫头鹰罕见地在组屋区树洞筑巢，引来大批鸟类摄影爱好者全副武装带“大炮”分时段到现场架设，只为等待拍摄猫头鹰“爸妈”低飞喂食两只幼崽的珍贵一幕

Facebook:

Local breed owls rarely nest in tree holes in the hut area, attracting a large number of bird photography enthusiasts, armed with "cannon" to set up the scene in time, just waiting for the precious scene of the owl's "parents" flying low and feeding two cubs.

Google Translate:

A rare local species of owl nests in a tree hole in a HDB housing estate, attracting a large number of bird photography enthusiasts armed with "cannons" to set up at the site at different times, just waiting to take pictures of the owl "parents" flying low to feed their two cubs a precious scene.

ChatGPT:

Local species of owls rarely nest in tree holes in housing estate areas, attracting a large number of bird photography enthusiasts who come fully equipped with their "big guns" to set up at the scene in shifts, all just to wait for the precious moment of the owl "parents" flying low to feed their two chicks.

I think GPT wins this round. Chinese seems to be a toughy for a lot of these translators.

I thought this was a fun little story. You may not like it as much as I did, but I enjoyed the discovery and thinking of this little owl holding onto a secret stash for thousands of years. What a good little guardian!

From All That's Interesting

For more than 3,000 years, China's oldest-known distilled spirit remained hidden inside a bronze, owl-shaped vessel unearthed within a Shang Dynasty tomb.

Discovered in 2010 in Jinan, China, the vessel contained a mysterious clear liquid. After 15 years of preservation and study, it was, in 2024, identified as distilled liquor - the earliest-known example in China's history.

This remarkable discovery has pushed the history of liquor production in China back by more than a millennium.

In December 2010, archaeologists from the Jinan Institute of Archaeology found a bronze, owl-shaped vessel at the Daxinzhuang burial site in Jinan, Shandong Province. Located in Tomb M257, the container was in remarkably good condition and stood out as one of only a few owl vessels ever discovered in the province.

Researchers discovered that the vessel dates back more than 3,000 years, to the Shang Dynasty period of 1600 to 1046 B.C.E..

At the time of the vessel's discovery, archaeologists noted that it contained a small amount of clear liquid but were unable to completely open it due to the corrosion of the lid. At the time of its burial, the vessel was tightly sealed and not fully oxidized. A thick layer of rust glued the two pieces together, making it difficult for researchers to analyze its contents without harming this historic artifact.

After 14 years, researchers carefully separated the lid from the rest of the container, finally revealing its contents in their entirety.

The mysterious liquid was sent to the International Joint Laboratory of Environmental and Social Archaeology Research at Shandong University for examination. Its examination revealed the presence of water, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and other distillation products.

However, it did not contain sugar proteins or organic acids used in fermented fruit and rice wine. Researchers were ecstatic to hear that the liquid was most likely distilled liquor, the oldest ever found in China.

The rest of the article is mainly on the history of brewing in China and it also has a shot of the back of the pit but it's pretty plain.

From Shawn Pilkington

As we were driving this Short Eared Owl landed on this rock...At first i was just taking shots and noticed the diffent colors of the sunset...So I moved slowly, opened the car door, and got my camera down by the road so I could shoot upwards to the setting sun...the multiple color sunset was really neat.

From Craig Himmelright

How can you not adore this face. My very first time photographing a Boreal Owl. Northeastern Minnesota

From Zoran Vidrih

The Ural owl has a very different Slovenian name. It would literally mean goat owl. Some hear in its call a sound similar to a goat, hence we have "kozača' aka goat owl. :)

Kozača |Ural owl Strix Uralensis @slovenia, December 2024 Nikon gear | 500mm +1,4TC | F5,6 | iso3200 | 1/200

From David Malloy

This is GHO "Owlivia", she was released last fall but she's extremely clever, she learned if she looks in the ring camera at the rehab and waits, a tasty mouse snack appears from inside. She then takes her treat and flies off.

From Southwest VA Wildlife Center of Roanoke

We've gotten oodles of Eastern Screech-Owls (Megascops asio) this fall and winter! While it's normal to receive more raptors in the colder months, we usually see roughly the same amount of owls AND hawks... However, we've had mostly Screechies, and ALL have come in due to vehicle strikes!

They are expert nighttime hunters who sometimes like to wait by roadsides, since the open road makes it easy to spot their scurrying prey. Since they don't know to look both ways before swooping in for the kill, they are frequent victims of vehicle strikes, often resulting in death for the owl.

Luckily for the 6 Eastern Screech-Owls currently in our care, all of them had disabling but treatable head trauma, bruising, and eye abrasions from their collisions. Even when they're not feeling well, these tiny owls have BIG personalities and-to the human eye- very expressive faces!

This species comes in both red and gray morphs, with reds making up an estimated 1/3 of the Eastern Screechy's population. However, since we're on the eastern side of their range, we see the red morphs more often! This could also be a case of injured red Screechies being easier to spot on the side of the road, while the well-camouflaged grays go unseen more often.

If you haven't ever heard the hauntingly adorable song of an Eastern Screech Owl, treat your ears to some recordings at the link below! (The aforementioned link!)

From Francois Potvin

Hidden in the golden leaves of an oak tree, this Saw Whet melts into a decor reminiscent of autumn.. but be mistaken, this photo was taken in the middle of winter! The oak leaves, stubborn and hanging on as if they were not going to fall off, offer a perfect contrast to the cold season. An encounter that shows how nature in Quebec is always full of surprises!

From Richard Gotz

I was watching this Great Gray owl hunt for voles when it suddenly looked straight up and made itself tall & thin. Another Great Gray in a nearby tree did the same thing. I wonder if they were making themselves a smaller target for the mature Bald Eagle that flew overhead.

Lake County, MN

From Kenny Le

Beautiful female snow owl was carrying the moon with her so lucky got all the shots