Category: owls

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!

Barred Owl in a Bush

If a barred acts like it is sleeping, sometimes the birds leave it alone. Sometimes if I stand there and watch it for a while they leave it alone.

Barred Owl in a Bush

I guess the birds figure the owl will not try to hunt them while I am there. I have yet to see an owl catch a bird. I usually see them get chipmunks etc. Either the owl is either catching a very short nap or is pretending to sleep. I don’t know if you would call this a cat nap. Would you?

Surprise! A Great Horned Juvenile

I have heard crows complaining on hikes. Sometimes it is good to check it out as it might be a bird of prey that are fussing about. Surprise! A great horned juvenile was there.

Surprise! A Great Horned Juvenile

I knew it was a great horned, but a friend messaged me it was a juvenile after I took a picture with my phone of the back of my camera. It is still fuzzy on the head and the ears are not quite like an adult’s ears yet.

Surprise! A Great Horned Juvenile – mobbed by crows

It was unexpected for a few reasons, but I was happy to spot it. It was dark in this part of the woods and it was before sunset, so I could not increase the shutter speed, hence the crows are blurred a bit. This is the first time I have seen a juvenile great horned owl after it fledged. Expect the unexpected.

Nothing to See Here

Nothing to See Here – Barred Owl

I came upon this barred owl when I heard birds going nuts in the woods. I was about to walk this way and saw this owl. Its mate was hunting nearby. I felt like the owl was thinking there is nothing to see here, move along. I took a picture then left. Sometimes the male hunts for food for the female, and sometimes they are hunting to feed the young. I have seen the male bring the female his catch . Have a great holiday weekend!

Unexpected Owlets

These are an unexpected find. It is an unexpected location for many reasons that I cannot go into detail about.

Unexpected Owlets screaming for parents and most likely food

The weather has been absolutely horrid. Very cloudy most of the time it seems, so it makes for very dark conditions amongst a group of trees. The photo at the bottom I actually got caught in a passing rain storm.

Unexpected Owlets – Two in the hole

I actually heard the sounds days before I saw them at the tree hole. The first few days they did not appear at the tree hole. I walked on all sides of this tree and the sound appeared to come from the other side of the tree no matter what side of the tree I was on. I concluded it had to be inside the tree. I even had a friend listen to a video of the sound to confirm it was an owlet. I never heard them make these sounds inside the tree hole, only after they ventured out of the hole. Then I saw one on a different day appear at the hole. On another day I saw two heads. It almost appeared the one would push the other out.

Unexpected Owlets- It was raining and I had to leave.

All of these photos, but especially the one on the bottom are taken in very low light conditions at a high ISO. Even in a location you would never think an owl would nest, they might. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Barred Owl Open and Shut

The barred owl has a facial disk. The disk is composed of feathers that grow around the owl’s head. These feathers help make the bared owl a skilled hunter. These feathers they say help direct sound to the bird’s ears. They say it is the same effect as cupping your hands behind your ears. The disk feathers allow them to hear the movement of a mouse in the grass, the flapping of feathers in the night, or the slithering of a snake in a tree or on the ground.

Barred Owl Open and Shut- In a brief window of light from the setting sun
Barred Owl Open and Shut- Cloudy

The hunter becomes the hunted in the Pacific Northwest. The government wants to cull barred owls. The barred owl is being blamed for the decrease in population of the spotted owl. The barred is more indigenous to the east coast, but has been moving over the the Pacific Northwest. Therefore, the US Fish and Wildlife wants people to kill 500,000 of them. It is very controversial as it will eliminate a species in one area to save another. What do you think?

The Barred are Back!

This pair has been in and out of public land at one of the many places I hike. It has mostly been outside of public land past two years. Too many things have happened and continue to happen that keep them on private lands. Tonight the pair crossed the border into public land.

The Barred are Back!

I actually saw one of them on Sunday morning. I was looking at another bird and the owl made one of the many sounds a barred owl makes. Turns out it was in a neighbouring tree. I would like to think it was saying hi!

The Barred are Back!

I have not heard any of the usual telltale signs they are near in the past several months such as the complaining of robins, bluejays, chipmunks, etc. Birds complain when a hawk or owl is nearby. Tonight was the first time I heard the signs, but it was well after I saw it.

The Barred are Back!

The pictures above and below are at sunset. It actually caught something on the ground and carried it to a neighbouring tree to its mate. The mate ate a little then carried it off towards private land. I think they will only be occasional opportunities on the fly to see them again this year.

The Barred are Back! It caught something on the ground right after this picture.

I hope I see them again in the future. This was unexpected, but great nonetheless.