I really love owls

[fossil]

Juvenile Great Horned perched on my fence this evening. Normally nocturnal and somewhat hard to observe, this time of year they become more crepuscular.

 

[Osage]

Have started to have Barred Owls in our yard. They are a great bird to watch. Heard they are starting to range into the Pacific NW. Some talk of killing them do to their preying on the Spotted Owl.

 

[begreen]

Barred owls are definitely in our area. A friend has at least one on his property up north in the Skagit Valley. We thought it was a spotted owl at first, though the barred is a bit larger. They look and can sound similar and do some sneaky mimicry to draw out spotted owls than fight them to take over their territory.

 

[begreen]

A local friend just posted this shot on her facebook page. She saw it on her walk this morning.

 

[fossil]

In early 2006 we were living in Fairfax VA, and I realized we had a mating pair of Barred Owls with a nest in a White Oak right across the street from our driveway. They had two owlets that year. I followed & photographed those birds for weeks until the owlets fledged and dispersed. I made a little picture/story book about it. It was fascinating. We named the adults Ozzie & Harriet and, of course the owlets David & Ricky. This is Harriet:

 

[Bobbin]

Owls are a regular part of the night-time chorus for us. I regularly find their castings, but have only rarely actually had the privilege of seeing one. I wasn't able to study it long enough to figure it out, sadly. It was small, 12"H, and it was perched pretty low in a shrub. The Good Man was out with the fool dog and his head lamp picked up its eyes. He alerted me and I managed to catch a glimpse of it. Fabulous!

I hear them, know they're here, and always hope I'll actually get to see them! They're right up there with bats, IMO.

 

[begreen]

We hear great horned owls hooting many nights. It's great when there are several of them along the coast hooting to each other. Sometimes they let me join in and will answer. Sometimes, they don't give a hoot.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hearing the screech of an owl at night while standing out on the back porch always puts a shiver up my spine . . . until I suddenly realize what is making the sound.

 

[begreen]

My sister kept a screech owl one year, raised it from a chick. You want to have a big surprise, have one land on your shoulder in the dark as you make your way to the bathroom. They make no sound when flying. But they do use their claws as brakes. I woke the house up.

 

[1kzwoman]

You want to entertain and teach at the same time . Find(Buy) an owl pellet to take apart with an 8 year old. Same goes for a shed rattlesnake skin

 

[BEConklin]

We've got resident barred owls that hang around our house pretty much all year until the ground gets covered with snow. This year they raised two owlets and they are some of the goofiest birds I've ever seen. Unlike their parents, these kids have no fear of us and will often land on the deck and look in through tge sliders to see us. We've got plenty of hickory and oak around the house so there's plenty of mast for the mice and squirrels....easy living for the owls

Here's a pic I took earlier this summer of one of the kids. He was about 50 feet from our front door in the trees...but our front door opens onto a wrap around deck some 8 feet off the ground level.

 

[begreen]

My niece sent met this shot today.

 

[Soundchasm]

We have a pair here. I'll assume it's a pair until I'm proved wrong. My first encounter a few years ago was funny and frightening. Sitting in a chair, head back looking at stars, and the whole solar system is covered with a gigantic wingspan in dead silence. Did not expect that.

Finally, I got a look at one, via 14x zoom at twilight, so forgive the shots. Alerted my young neighbor to take a look, and when his young son came to take a look on his push-scooter, I looked at the scooter as it flew away. Can't win them all.

This was not a tiny bird.

 

[stmar]

We have screech owls around out place, they nest in the trees in the dry creek bed down from house. They come up here at night and I have seen them on our deck rail, probably looking for mice or young rabbits or the multitude of blue birds that roost around the house. Unbelievable how quiet they are when they take off, you cannot hear them, silent and deadly to rodents

 

[Soundchasm]

crepuscular

Most excellent word!! Thanks.

 

[DevilsBrew]

Love 'em

 

[pma1123]

They are amazing birds to watch. I caught this one while looking out the window of a tavern on the Chippewa Flowage in NW WI. Owl experts, tell me more about him.

 

[hossthehermit]

They are amazing birds to watch. I caught this one while looking out the window of a tavern on the Chippewa Flowage in NW WI. Owl experts, tell me more about him.

Looks like a "Napping Owl" to me ............

 

[fossil]

Here's a "Napping Barred"

 

[begreen]

He looks more bored than barred.

 

[OhioBurner©]

I love birds but rarely have ever seen owls in the wild, hear them often though. Only time in recent years I can recall seeing an owl was while I was in a treestand during deer season. I tend to 'shoot' a lot more animals with the camera, so hunting is dual purpose for me. But anyhow I catch along my periphery something huge moving. An owl with a giant wingspan swoops down between the tree canopies and right by me! Occasionally large red tailed hawks go by, and they are pretty big, but the wingspan on this owl was larger than that as I recall. And it moved so graceful and perfectly silent it was almost surreal. Way too fast to get out my camera, oh well. No clue what kind of owl it was.

 

[ironpony]

Me too, they're a hoot.....

 

[vinny11950]

Saw this picture by Graham McGeorge. Amazing shot:

http://travel.nationalgeographic.co...azine/photo-contest/2013/entries/202869/view/

He has many more owl pictures on his site. And many other animals too.

http://www.grahammcgeorge.com/