Superbowl

From Lisa M Jones

Parents, do you recognize the signs?

From Matthew Viens

The new year has kicked off with a bang! I've been fortunate enough to spend time with multiple Great Gray owls. This is just a small snapshot and I hope you enjoy!

Wow, there is a ton of great stuff crammed into one post! An owl somewhat rare for where it's at, a ton of facts and bio vocabulary, and some neat medical stuff!

This caught my attention as many of you enjoy the ingenuous tape but strategically placed when birds have injuries so they can tug at the tape placed on bits that won't cause injury to their feathers or actual bandages while the bird still feels it's picking off what is annoying it. The tail feather brace is something I haven't seen before, so I wanted to share it, and then saw it came with an awesome writeup as well!

From New Mexico Wildlife Center

The tiny, nocturnal subject of this week's Creature Feature is the Northern Saw-whet Owl, a species that we don't often see in our hospital, although we recently admitted 2024's third patient of this species! These elusive raptors live in forested habitats throughout much of North America, and their complex migratory patterns have been the subject of scientific study for decades.

The name "Saw-whet" comes from one of the vocalizations this species makes, which is said to sound like a metal saw being sharpened on a whetstone. During breeding season, their most common vocalization, primarily uttered by males to attract a mate, is a series of several high-pitched, monotonous hoots that can sometimes be heard from over half a mile away! Northern Saw-whet Owls are a highly nocturnal species, so those calls can be heard overnight, especially a couple hours after sunset.

While this isn't quite New Mexico's smallest raptor species, they come pretty close, weighing only about as much as an American Robin on average! Female Northern Saw-whet Owls are a bit larger than males and might bulk up past the 100-gram mark, but that's still pretty tiny for a bird of prey. Don't be fooled, though - these owls are formidable predators of mice in particular, adding occasional variety to their diet with a bat or a songbird here and there.

Many birds have fairly routine and predictable migratory habits, but not Northern Saw-whet Owls. Their seasonal movements are irruptive, meaning that in some years, large numbers of them occur at once along a migratory route, and their population is sparser in other years. Irruptions, or high-density migrations, of Northern Saw-whet Owls take place approximately every 4 years, according to data from banding stations across North America.

Adults of this species tend to migrate earlier than juveniles do, although that pattern does not always hold up. But how do we know which birds are how old? When the birds are banded, scientists take a variety of measurements to find out each bird's sex, age, and other information. just so happens that the feathers of Northern Saw-whet Owls contain pigments called porphyrins, which are unremarkable to the naked human eye but glow bright pink under a black light. Porphyrins fade over time, though, so shining a black light on the underside of an owl's wing shows us which feathers are faded and at least a year old, and which feathers are brand new and still able to glow. An owl with a full set of glowing feathers is a hatch-year bird with all new feathers, and an owl with a mixture of glowing and faded feathers is a mature adult, having replaced only some of their feathers in their annual molt!

The bird in this photo is current patient number 24-988, who is recovering from a fractured femur and scapula. The owl's tail feathers are protected by a tail guard, which prevents the feathers from becoming tattered and broken while the bird's mobility is limited. This photo also shows the fringed edge of one of 24-988's primary feathers on the left wing! The fringe helps to break up air currents while the bird is in flight, one of the adaptations that creates silent flight.

From Kevin Leung

在市區居然可以拍到猫頭鷹,有別於大多數鄰近城市, 希望拍攝者都帶着對自己孩子般的呵護心態去拍攝,讓 未來年年都看到可愛的猫頭鷹BB在我們的身邊成長

Translators on Facebook and Google kinda stank on this one, so I'll attempt to humanize the output:

In this city I can actually photograph owls, unlike in most neighboring cities. I hope other photographers take care of them as they would children, so every year will we get to see owl babies around us.

From ANIMA

ANIMA - Association for the Protection and Care of Wildlife

A tyto in our facility at the Diomidos Botanical Garden, since today the International Conference on Tyto began in Greece.

The International Conference on Tyto 2025, to be held in Greece, is a valuable opportunity to bring together scientists, academics, researchers and environmentalists from 12 countries. This year's theme, "Tyto: The Natural Solution for Pest Control in Agriculture", reflects the dual purpose of this meeting: to enhance sustainability in agriculture through natural methods and to highlight the unique role of Tyto in cross-border cooperation. Furthermore, this conference highlights the symbolic importance of Tyto as an ambassador of peace, uniting different nations in a common goal: sustainable environmental management.

From A Place Called Hope

Grey Morph Eastern Screech owl...a stunning example of this small species of Owl that resides in CT. They come in different color morphs, Red, Grey and some cases Brown. You can really see how their feathers help to conceal them in the wild when they are perched in trees hidden by tree bark.

Took some screenshots of a short video from this post for you!

From Native Birds Australia

The Lesser Sooty Owl. FNQ. This was my best encounter.

From Sante Fe Raptor Center

Screenshots of a little Burrowing Owl making a horrific screech in protest if being cleaned.

From Freedom First Wildlife Rehab

Let's chat.....after several recent incidents, I feel obligated to offer some suggestions when finding injured owls.

Finding an injured owl is a unique and often exciting and overwhelming experience for many people. Owls are experts at hiding injuries and will sometimes go into a passive mode and people are able to carefully pick them up, even holding them without resistance. This is NOT normal owl behavior as they are wild animals and contact with humans causes extreme stress..thus we often see this shut down behavior.

Most people automatically want to comfort the owl but these wild creatures are NOT comforted by you touching them, speaking to them or holding them in the presence of humans. The BEST option for an owl is to place in a well ventilated box or carrier, covered away from humans and pets, dark and quiet until it can be transported to a rehabber. Do NOT transport in your lap!

Sometimes owls will perk up but this does not mean they are ok. Instinct takes over and they may demonstrate fight or flight responses and become very active. DO NOT release them! Their last bit of energy goes into an escape attempt but if they have a severe head injury (indicated by the initial passive behavior), they are not ready to return to the wild and in fact may fly off only to be found deceased later.

Please help us help them by safely containing and contacting your local rehabber as soon as possible. You WILL be asked to transport the owl as wildlife rehabbers do not have the capacity to go out on every call..it's impossible.

As always, we deeply appreciate your love for these Amazing animals. We always encourage you to be SAFE when helping wildlife especially along roadways! Human safety trumps animals EVERY time!

Also be very aware the wild animals can be dangerous and may attempt to defend themselves as they are unaware you are trying to help. Owls use their TALONS and BEAKS as defense tools. Using heavy gloves and towels is highly recommended!

Thank you for your commitment to our Regional Wildlife.

From Brian Doherty

Snowy owl - Long Island, NY - January 2025 - Canon R3, RF 600 f/4, RF 1.4TC, ISO 2000, 840mm, f/5.6, 1/2500sec

Snowy is out enforcing the rules!

From Owl Rescue Centre

If you ever buy yourself a new red Ferrari, just remember to always keep the windows closed when parked. Apparently Barn Owls have a fondness for these vehicles. We only found out about this today, and we thought we knew everything about them

From Gerry Uchytil

When you have a few moments to spend with such a beautiful creature (boreal owl) their personality shines through. ❤️

From Guilong Charles Cheng

Sliding in something that is not snowy owl:) figure the 80s must be back, as even the little screech is joining the disco party.

From Agnes Budnowski

My first tawny owl. Today he was kind. He showed a bit more of himself and opened his eyes a little. Otherwise he slept the whole time. I would have liked more action but you take what you get. 😉

From Everet D Regal

This is one of the most unusual and surprising exposures l've ever captured of a flying owl.

I had been photographing Short-eared owls in NY with limited success and decided to head home. The sun had set and it was already dark. After traveling a couple miles down the road, I saw a lone owl hunting along the road.

I quickly pulled over, jumped out, dialed down my settings and began trying to capture some images. My logical mind knew there was little, if any, chance to capture anything usable, but I wanted to give it a try and see what happens.

There was no light and the owl was little more than a dark shadow, but you never know if you don't try and it's all a part of the learning experience.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results when the car, road and owl all lining up. The headlights from the car were just what was needed to make an interesting photograph.

It may not appeal to everyone, but I haven't seen a similar shot before and it still grabs my interest.

Canon 1 DX MIII+EF600+1.4X -1/1600 -f/5.6 - 16,000 - 840mm

Freedom Day for this owl rescued by high schoolers after their Homecoming night! Not great photos, but there just screen caps of highly compressed video.

From Southwest VA Wildlife Center of Roanoke

This Eastern Screech Owl came to us this Fall after being found in the road by some local high school students here in Roanoke!

They were on the way back from their Homecoming dance when they spotted him on the ground, possibly after being struck by a vehicle. Sensing that something was wrong, these vigilant students pulled over, and one young lady--still in her dress and heels!--hopped out to contain the little owl and get him out of harm's way.

They got him home right away, and she brought him to us herself first thing the next morning!

Thanks to their actions, this owl was treated for head trauma, eye abrasions, and bruising from the suspected vehicle strike. After some time to heal and acclimate to the cold winter weather, this handsome raptor was returned to the wild where he was found! Wherever those students are now, we're grateful for their kindness to wildlife, and they have our thanks!

From Tri_City Herald

In Washington, burrowing owls are rare. Their population has sharply declined as development takes over areas where they’ve lived for years. Small, brown and speckled with bright, charismatic yellow eyes and long legs, burrowing owls are a historic, native species in the Tri-Cities. They are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and are designated in Washington as a candidate species, meaning they could soon be listed as endangered, threatened or sensitive.

Benton and Franklin counties are the state’s few remaining strongholds for the creatures. That’s why when the city of Pasco began planning to expand its water processing facility — a critical $185 million project for its rapidly expanding food processing industry — officials needed to find a way to protect the tiny owls and their breeding sites.

A state environmental review for the facility found the city’s site contained several active burrows and two breeding pairs on the 440 acres of prime shrub steppe and grassland habitat. One breeding pair can produce up to 13 chicks in a season. Now, Pasco and state wildlife officials are saying the birds are already thriving in new homes.

**Owl ‘evictions’ **

Burrowing owls typically live underground in natural burrows that they’ve taken over from prairie dogs, ground squirrels or badgers. Unlike nocturnal owls, they are active during the day.

The city and state’s challenge was to “evict” them from their homes and move them away from the water plant’s construction site to another part of the property. Pasco worked with staff at the Washington Department of Ecology and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and consultants at Richland-based RH2 Engineering, to reduce the impact on the area’s shrub steppe habitat and create artificial burrows.

Artificial burrows are made using a 55-gallon barrel-shaped container placed about three feet into the ground with a long, flexible attached pipe. There is a lid on top of the container that can be lifted so that the burrows can be checked over time. Below the surface, the burrows are insulated by about a foot or more of soil.

There are now seven man-made sites on the city’s lands with three artificial burrows at each location. The owls were removed from their natural burrows, tagged and released. Some moved in on their own into the artificial burrows and others moved to different natural burrows on nearby private land. The process occurred outside of the breeding season. Later, the natural burrows on the site were destroyed.

During construction, disturbance buffers also were placed at least 500 feet around occupied burrows to help prevent equipment from bothering the owls or causing burrows to collapse. The artificial burrow sites are all in a mixed agricultural area on the edges of city-owned irrigation circles near the water processing facility.

Michael Henao is an environmental compliance coordinator for the city and was involved in the biological surveying of the site to find the owls and helped identify locations for the artificial burrows. “It was easier for the city and more beneficial for the owls to be (at the new sites),” Henao told the Herald. He explained that the owls get the benefit of being in an area that is similar to their original shrub steppe habitat with access to prey like rodents and insects in the neighboring agricultural fields.

**Historic shrub steppe habitat **

Deep soil shrub steppe is prime land for burrowing owls. It’s made up of grasslands, sagebrush and other woody shrubs. In the Columbia Basin region, over 80% of the historic shrub steppe ecosystem has disappeared, according to state wildlife officials. About 90 acres of shrub steppe were destroyed as a result of construction for the water facility. The city was required to pay to replace two times the acreage of shrub steppe impacted by the project— about $190,000 — to the Franklin Conservation District. The conservation district then uses the money to buy new shrub steppe habitat areas to preserve it.

**Future for the owls **

There were several active burrows and two breeding pairs found on the Pasco site in 2022 and 2023, before construction began in late 2023. During the last survey in 2024, there were four breeding pairs of burrowing owls identified in the project’s footprint. One of the original breeding pairs on the site relocated to an artificial burrow. Three of the pairs were successful in producing 22 owlets, according to state biologist Jason Fidorra. He worked on the project starting in spring 2022.

“We’ve already seen a net increase in the population of burrowing owls and potential nesting pairs as a result of the mitigation,” Fidorra said. Fidorra explained that burrowing owls are shown to be adaptable and also tend to do “fairly well” in irrigated agricultural areas. The city, along with state wildlife officials, will continue to check on the owls and maintain the artificial burrows.

“The city really believes in industrial symbiosis — there is a full rotation with the water from the processors and we want to make sure we close the loop,” Henao said. “We want to be good stewards of the land and the animals that inhabit it.” Fidorra told the Herald that the artificial burrows can help the owl population survive and even grow, as long as they are also in areas where the owls can hunt and forage food, and stay protected from predators and harmful weather conditions.

“This only addresses one of the needs of burrowing owls,” he said. “We still have to protect the habitat so that the species can have all of its needs met in terms of survival. Long-term, how suitable the site will remain for burrowing owls will be determined in the future. The story isn’t complete yet on this project,” he said.

Fidorra said he has completed other burrowing owl conservation work, including artificial burrows, for WDFW in Franklin County on land owned by private owners, including farmers, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

**Water processing facility **

Pasco’s Process Water Reuse Facility treats industrial water coming from six local fruit, vegetable and dairy processors, soon to be seven with the addition of Darigold.

The facility is partially finished now. It began operating in October 2024 and should be fully operational by the second half of 2025. The treated water is used to irrigate 14 rotating crop circles on 1,900 acres owned by the city and leased to growers. The fields grow alfalfa, potatoes and corn for animal feed. In 2018, the city identified that there was a need to expand the facility and implement new technologies, like water digesters and a nitrogen removal system, because food processors had increased production. The city received a loan from the Department of Ecology’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund to expand the facility.

From Matan Wild

A little owl with the setting sun.

From Hector Astorga

Taken in Costa Rica

Found in Latin America. Very similar to the Eastern and Western Screech Owls of North America, but with different vocalizations.

From Conan Chee

Beautiful Northern Saw Whet Owl!! SW British Columbia

From Ron Kemp

This morning I went to the park with high hopes. After spending some time there and taking pictures of the usual birds I decided to take my wife's advice and took a long drive through the countryside. I drove for what seems like forever and saw nothing.Finally when had all but given up came across a bunch of Redpolls and was able to get some shots off. started to loop back towards home when thought saw what looked like a small bird in a tree( this happens often and in a lot of cases ends up being leafs that have not fallen or a wasp nest. I jokingly refer to these as tree birds. I also sometimes come across rock birds and shadow birds Lol).

When I pulled out the long lens I was surprised to see it actually was a bird. In fact for the second weekend in a row I have come across a lifer for me. Last weekend was an owl as well. Now for some reason after seeing it and believing it to be a Boreal owl I double checked in the Merlin App and it stated Northern saw whet Owl. As I have never seen either am at a loss and am going to go with Boreal, if I am wrong could someone correct me please.

It is indeed a beautiful Boreal!

I didn't know what a Redpoll was, but it's a type of finch that lives pretty fast up north. Here's a photo:

From Owl Rescue Centre

No story with this one really. They shared it as a part of a fundraiser contest winner announcement. You guys love your WFS around here, and we've never had a pic with more than 1 at the same time that I can recall.

From Kristine A Patti

From Owl and Raptor Station Haringsee

Alongside the tawny owl, long-eared owls are the most common owls in Central Europe.

Their plumage and the tufts of feathers on their heads make them look like small eagle owls, but they are of course a species of owl in their own right.

They begin courting in January and February, and after the eggs have been laid, only the females look after the brood. The males bring food and only later look after the larger young.

Owls cannot build their own nests; they take over nests of crows or magpies from the previous year to raise their young. They therefore have to look for suitable breeding sites early in the year, before they are occupied by other birds.

From Artur Korpik

Owly moly! What a start to year 2025!

2 Boreals and a Hawk Owl