I started hearing mayhem amongst the birds in the woods. Crows, a blue jay, some other bird with an annoying call were complaining loudly. I went towards the sound and thought maybe the owl or a hawk caught a bird. The following pictures were taken right before sunset in the woods.
I saw what I believe is the female owl sitting patiently looking up in the trees in the direction of the sound. It turns out the male owl had caught an animal. The birds slowly one by one flew away complaining. After things had quieted down I saw what looked like the other owl fly to a tree and make a short who sound.
The father owl then flew to a neighbouring tree. The mother owl flew over to the tree he had gone to first. The father had left an animal for the mom to eat. How nice of him! I could not tell what it was at first.
The mother owl was nice enough to take the animal and fly off to a neighbouring tree branch where I could get a better view. It appears to be a chipmunk. We are seeing more chipmunks and squirrels now, but not nearly as much as in past years it seems. Many people in this area are commenting the same.
The mother owl spent a lot of time trying to swallow this, give up, then appear to try to rip it or bite pieces, then repeat.
When she was done she flew to another nearby tree and perched for a while. I always feel lucky to see this pair. They have not been together much this year so far. I hope I did not gross you out too much. Enjoy the end of your week!
Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog 
Everybody’s got to eat. And not everyone uses a knife and fork.
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Exactly! It’s what owls do, but I realize some may not want to see photos like this. Many humans don’t use knife and fork, ha!
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WOW! Great photos!
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Not bad considering the light conditions! I was happy to witness it all.
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Wow! Love these.
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💚🐦
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Amazing photographs!
Gwen.
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Thanks! Amazing birds!
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It’s always special to get to experience something quite so remarkable, and to get photos of the process, even if some being had to die in the process. The owls are very charismatic.
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Yes, special to see. Some don’t want to see things like this, but it’s the circle of life I guess and the food chain.
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It’s not gross. Owls have to eat too 😊. Your photos are beautiful, Sharon. Do you know that I’ve never heard an owl hoot? I would love to watch these beauties you have in your area.
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Thanks! Ithink I have only heard them hoot in the wild the past five years or so. I have heard them hoot in captivity. You probably have some near you, although you may have some that we don’t.
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We have a pair of Great Horned Owls near us. They have two owlets – one has left the nest. I sure hope they are catching the rodents that dig holes in our yard!
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If one left the other may leave the same day or up to a few days later. I’m sure they are getting rodents. I saw a great horned nest a few years ago but it was so high up and I could only view it from a distance. I could never see them being fed. Once the flew from the nest we never saw the babies again.
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Great stuff!
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It’s always great to find them. It rained a lot here today. I think they hunkered down inside a tree hole.
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I saw the hearts! Beautiful photos!
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Thanks! The hearts made my day! Never saw them the past two years on her.
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford.
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Thanks!
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YOWZA-!
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Love owls!
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Owls are cool!
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Yes!
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