Category: owls

Barred Owl Family Number 2

I found two barred owl families this spring/ summer. The first family had three owlets and they were making the hissing like noise they make when hungry while inside the tree. This second family, in another location, had one owlet.

Barred Owl Family Number 2- most likely the mom

The first family had a great horned owl family come into its territory. Either the parents moved the owlets farther away onto private land, or the great horned owls got them, which they will do. I saw the second family’s baby for several days, then saw it no longer. To be fair, it was very close to private land when I saw it. Owls will have the baby move around, although it seems no further than about a 1/4 of a mile from the nest, when it is still relying on parents for food. I am hoping the story on this one is they moved to private land.

Barred Owl Family Number 2– they had one owlet

The parents are savvy and hide in the shade. The owlet seems to relish the light from the sun. Enjoy your week!

Short-Eared Owl on Christmas

I went down for a short time to see if I could catch any short-eared owls this afternoon. There were a lot more people there late afternoon on Christmas Day than I expected. It was a sunny day, which we do not get too many of. Luckily a red-tailed hawk decided to hang out in some prime places. That usually draws the owls closer to harass it.

While the owls flew around one tree the hawk was perched in, I was able to get off some fly by shots.

The owl made my day. I felt like the hawk gave all the visitors a present by perching where she did, and the owls gave us a present by doing close fly-bys. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

Barn Owl Perched

We do have Barn Owls in New York, but they are rare. Ebird will allow someone to post the county one was spotted in, but not the town it was seen in. I think these are much more common in England.

Barn Owl Perched

This was another owl I got to see that a group brought in to show. It would be quite rare to see in the wild in New York, but you never know. Have a Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanza!

Spectacled Owls

Spectacled owls range from Mexico down into South America. I doubt I will ever get to see one in those locations, but I was able to view this owl and others through a group that puts on educational shows.

Juvenile Spectacled Owl

Spectacled Owls – Juvenile

This is a juvenile spectacled owl. They have different colouring than adults. Their head is more white, while the adults’ head feathers are more a darker brown.

Spectacled Owls – Juvenile

Adult Spectacled Owl

Spectacled Owls – Adult

How did they get their name?

I do not have a head on shot of the adult. It has white markings around its eyes that make it look like it is wearing glasses. One of their calls is a tapping sound, and they are also known as a knocking owl. The knocking like sound has also resulted in it being named the coffin maker in some places as the sound is likened to someone pounding nails into a coffin.

This was a treat! I was able to see from a short distance owls, some of which are not in the area I live in. I saw a show by a different group 1-2 years ago where they were against photos being taken and were anti anyone with a nice camera. It was nice to see this group was not like that. No flashes were used. Have a great weekend.

You Are in My Spot 2

This was shot from today. A lot of action with the owls repeatedly trying to knock the hawks off the posts. I had just arrived and the spots close to the action were crowded. I took these standing in between people from behind. This very large area of acreage shuts down access to most of the land after the short eared owls arrive to protect them. People are allowed to stand in certain areas very small areas on the land. The owls will fly close to where the people are allowed to stand.

You are in My Spot 2

The light was not ideal as it was cloudy and on the dark side before sunset. We are expecting rain the next few days which is greatly needed. Have a great week!

Short-Eared Owl Hugging the Grass

I was not sure I was going to go to see the owls today, but I am glad I did. Usually there are too many people there on Sundays and too much noise. However, despite the large number of people everyone was quiet, and we got a treat.

Short-Eared Owl Hugging the Grass

At least 4-5 owls were up around 3:30 and the light started coming out from behind the clouds in spurts.

Short-Eared Owl Hugging the Grass

Many times the owls were flying just above the grass. We did see one successfully catch a vole. I have a few shots of it flying low with it, but I was facing the sun and the images were not that sharp. You can’t have everything, however it was a very satisfying viewing day. I hope you had a great weekend.

You’re In My Spot!

The short-eared owls have been back a few weeks. They are taking no prisoners. There are not letting the hawks hang out on the posts. This reminds me of Sheldon in Big Bang Theory. He did not like anyone sitting in his chair.

You’re In My Spot!

The short-eared owls would fly up and try to knock the hawks off the posts. They were also chasing them around the refuge.

You’re In My Spot!

The owls are not landing on any of the numerous posts put up for perching. Hopefully they will soon. Sometimes that is your best chance at a decent shot because you can lower the shutter speed.

You’re In My Spot!

Do you have a favourite spot? Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Owl Fledglings 2024

These are two of the three fledglings from the same tree hole in May. This appears to be the day these two left the nest hole. The third was still in the hole and was quite loud.

Owl Fledglings 2024

The two out of the tree hole looked so small for barred owls it was confusing. It did not help they fledged during a dark day where it was raining hard. This is why they look drenched. The one pictured above is on a tree branch on the ground. I called a friend and she came. To not upset the apple cart with the parents, who had to be nearby, we left the baby on the ground in hopes that it would climb a nearby tree. It looked exhausted.

Owl Fledglings 2024 I manipulated this dark photo a lot to try to get it sharper and with less noise.

This is the second fledged owlet. It was on a tree maybe ten feet off the ground. This is the last time I saw the owlets from this tree. I did see the parents hunting nearby several times, so I am thinking they were there somewhere. This year though the screech of the babies asking for food was absent. I have always heard that in the past. This year I only heard the screeching coming while they were inside the tree hole or at the hole. Hopefully the great horned owls coming on their territory did not result in the barred owlets being killed. I am hoping they moved them safely to another area.

Barn Owl

I have always wanted to see a barn owl. We do have them in New York, but the Ebird reporting site protects the location of where they are sighted as they do exist, but are rare in the state. Going to a castle in England was my best shot at seeing one of these owls.

Some castles have many different activities to bring in money. They may have tours, host large concerts, put on Medieval or other historical shows, have high end lodging, etc. However, my favourite event to see are the falconry shows.

This falconry show at Warwick Castle does not disappoint. They had four falconers flying the birds. They had owls, falcons, hawks and eagles. Unfortunately it was raining that day. I did remove the raindrops from these photos. However, it messed with my autofocus and most of the flight shots did not pan out. I think the size of the owl came into play as well.

If I ever return to England, I hope to spend a few days visiting this castle. They have many shows and multiple falconry shows a day. I would also like to see a barn owl in the wild some day. Have a great rest of your week.

Barred Owl Basking in a Sliver of Light

I do not know how people get owls in great light. I never see barred owls especially, out in the open. They are usually hiding in a bush, within the dark part of the woods, or within branches.

Barred Owl Basking in a Sliver of Light – One eye open
Barred Owl Basking in a Sliver of Light – Eyes closed

Luckily I found this barred owl basking in a sliver of light. These are not recent shots. Enjoy your week!