These little Saw Whets seem fairly cooperative around the camera. Great work by the photographers of all of these as well.
With its dinner
Awesome! You guys have been having some great encounters lately!
Looks to be a lovely GHO there. I love how you can still see the white patches on the neck and chin!
You can see them displayed nicely on my owl pal Annabelle:
No, no, I kid! Raptors are our neighbors, and not for snacking. ๐
I much enjoyed the Flammy/forest theme, but it felt like time to mix it up, and the face was right there, so now i have a Shortie and grasslands theme.
I'll have to see if I can find or make some real owl icons. I think that'd make it stand out some more from the simplicity.
But then, when you see a new owl post:
I'm not the most up to date on what all one should know, but it's rapidly rising on my list of need to knows. I only ever hear blips about it from MSM and it always gets played like oh some more birds died today or this is why eggs got expensive. At the most bad I've noticed it get reported is when it hurts business by wiping out giant portions of large poultry farms. I don't even think all these dead geese would make local news.
We do have a good test run of what happens without scavengers. This is just the first link that came up, but India near killed off their entire vulture population a few years back and it killed over half a million people from disease and such.
Why, hello, nurse!
We're at the point of selecting our banner winners!
Here is your updated bracket and voting stats.
Some of the divisions are really getting heated and the difficulty for you guys has stepped up.
As always, I'm looking forward to seeing who your favorites will be!
Burrow and Crested fans have a lot of voting potential to either direct for or against some of the remaining owls.
From Mark Webb
Shorties in combat... this is as shot (apart from background noise reduction) in the most amazing light as the sky went dark and the owls were lit up by some sunlight.
Snowy Owl "Namaste"
This frame associated me with a yoga pose, as it looked like Owl was doing Sun Salutation, as she took a bow to the setting sun. In Owls world, that probably means similar to ours, just quite opposite since setting sun means that time for hunting has arrived. This bird certainly looks like she is enjoying her temporary visit to New England.
Massachusetts November 2024
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!
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!
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! ๐ฅถ
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!
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!
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 ๐
They are beautiful and marvelously built for their purpose, even though it isn't always a joyous one.
On New Year's Eve, I saw a Cooper's Hawk catch one of my blue jay friends that I've bonded with these last few years. I wanted to protect my bird friend, but it was already caught, and the hawk needs to do what hawks do, so I just had to sit there. I didn't want to scare the hawk and have the jay's sacrifice be in vain.
But it's a reminder these animals live hard lives, and we should cherish their existence while it is there, and we should protect what we can of the wild. It all needs each other to function the way it's intended. It's often beautiful, but there is a cost to everything as well.
Cooper's Hawk
Goodbye, Jay friend... ๐
I hope you keep the hawk strong and safe through the winter.