From Ken Anderson

FBF to this past spring... finding a Great Honed Owl family living in a giant burnt tree.

Even the deadest of things in nature can be a source of life !

Eurasian Eagle Owl has already taken down the even bigger Blakiston's Fish Owl, and the tiny but adorable Flammulated Owl. Now it's got its eyes on a medium sized one: the Morepork! This robust and mighty owl is hard not to like. It's got much of the same great qualities of the Great Horned: massive, well patterned body, crushing talons rivaling the largest flighted birds, and a wonderful hoot.

Morepork has thus far only taken on other Southern Hemisphere owls, having stopped Australia's Barking Owl and Africa's Milky Eagle Owl. Representing the island nation of New Zealand and the fandom of Discworld, Morepork has had a great fan base this year. It even picked up some vegan support, running on it's meatless Maori name, Ruru. Will this silly little hawk owl be able to deal with the Eagle Owl?

Who will be the second banner owl and our next semi-finalist? Upvote your choice below!

#superbowl #owloftheyear2024

White Faced Scops has has an easier go of things so far than many other owls, being fairly unchallenged through the first two matches it's seen. Buff Fronted and Long Ear did their best, but couldn't lay a feather on WFS. While many typically popular owls have seemingly been passed over for something different, the Scops has balanced being popular while still being the perfect amount obscure.

Spectacled Owl on the other hand has done really well. It beat the wise old Grey Owl in the first match, and a surprise poor turnout for the Screech while Speck picked up some more support led to a second victory. It's loveable nerdy looks bring a different attitude the the gruff or silly looks of most other owls.

This match could really upend things if the champ gets bumped out. Whoever wins this is our first semi-finalist, and the first of the four owls to grace our banner for the next year. Who will you choose? Vote now!

#superbowl #owloftheyear2024

From Middle Tennessee Raptor Center

Remington enjoyed posing for pictures at the Christmas tree lighting this evening. Remi could have stayed all night but me on the other hand left before the tree was lit. I was freezing cold! 🥶

From Audubon Center for Birds of Prey

Rescuing raptors is never exactly easy, but last week we had a particularly tricky situation on our hands. We received a call from a homeowner who saw an Eastern Screech Owl fall into a 9 foot concrete column in their back patio. The owl had been in the area for a few days, perching on top of the column, and it was by a stroke of luck that the homeowner saw the moment it fell in. With a width of about four inches, the hole was not wide enough for the owl to spread its wings and fly out.

Volunteers Maggie Haynes and Noah Hoffner-O'connor met at the home and immediately began trying a variety of rescue methods. Finally, they found something that worked: A soup ladle with two cords attached provided a little scoop for the owl to rest in while they raised it up. Once at the top of the column, Noah quickly grabbed the owl before it could jump down again.

Here at the Raptor Trauma Clinic, we gave the owl a quick exam and it passed with flying colors-it was released later that same day. Noah and Maggie discussed with the grateful homeowner the possibility of installing a screech-owl nest box, and the necessity of covering the openings at the top of those columns. Cheers to Noah, Maggie, the conscientious homeowner, and the little screech owl, flying free once again!

One owl you should know well... The Snowy. From memes, to Harry Potter, to yearly controversies about photographers flicking like paparazzi to get a look at them, we all love the Snowy Owl. It's big, bright, goofy, beautiful, and powerful all at once. Seeing them takes our hearts on a Polar Express ride of happiness. This owl was already tops of the first round voting, and is on a good track to the finals.

A mysterious stranger is looking to stop the Snowy's crusade. The Crested Owl is secretive and exotic. From tropical destinations not seen by many, but it is a sight to behold for those that do. With its unique sense of style and the thrill of the unknown, can it derail the Snowy?

Upvote your pick now!

#superbowl #owloftheyear2024

Buffy has retained a bit of its popularity from last year, coming off a great win over Mottled Wood. I thought the newcomer would have given it a bit more challenge, but its charming personality overcame the challenger with no issue.

The petite Saw Whet has been making big waves, having the second highest score of the first tier matches. There's been a few people calling for SWO to go all the way to the finals.

Both owls are known for their charming appearance, one a dopey big lug, the other is pure concentrated cuteness. Which owl gets your vote? Upvote them now!

#superbowl #owloftheyear2024

Titmouse grabs the wrong thing from the feeder.

You liked my cardinal from yesterday, so I'll share this jay I also got a pic of yesterday.

Same Pixel 7 through China binocs and dirty patio door 😁

From Wendy Erickson

Great Gray Owl!

This is my first GGO and omg am ecstatic to say the least. I never expected to see this Owl on my acreage and it happened so fast. just lost all sense of Whooo Haaaa! So he is a bit soft and completely lost all my senses with camera settings.

Yes photographers are fussy and am very much a picky perfectionist. This is my ultimate dream to say the least. I have only seen one once and that again was on our property but it was dark.

They are so beautiful! This guy was hunting. More to Come!

North Saskatchewan

From Jim Ankrom

Grey morph screech trying real hard to look like a red morph screech under the sodium street lights. Master of camouflage, indeed!

Wherever you are right now, one or both of these owls is probably not toooo far away. These owls can fly further then probably any other owls. This had allowed them to go places other owls could only dream of. There's one place one of these two can't go... The next bracket!

Technically, there are 30 barn owls. We're going to look at the Western Barn Owl of Eurasia and Africa, we did the American one last time. You can get a better guess on if a Barn Owl is make it female by looking at the belly. The males are usually whiter and there are less belly spots. The ladies are a little tanner and have more spots. Their populations are doing a bit of a rebound because they actually love nest boxes and people are finally learning how awesome it can be to have owls around.

While Barn Owls like snug little places like tree hollow, nest boxes, and sometimes even barns, the Short Eared Owl loves the widest expanses it can find. Shorties can migrate 1200 miles / 1900 km, and have even been found hundreds of miles in the ocean in remote islands having babies in a tropical paradise. They have a unique courtship flight ritual in which the male will clap its wings up to 10 claps per second. It sounds like a woodpecker or snapping some bubble wrap.

Both of these owls are classics. They have many similarities, but also maybe differences, making this a potentially difficult choice. Let me know who you're going with now by upvoting your selection.

#superbowl #owloftheyear2024