Feathered Friend

Owls are fascinating, I saw a video about how they compare with other birds, and how they are able to achieve near silent flight. :encourage:
2 days before I retired this one swooped into the yard at work, and grabbed a chick that was crossing with the hen.
 
We have had a pair (at least) of barred owls in the woods behind the house for a couple years.
This picture is from 05-July-2020:
owl1.jpg

I love to hear them hooting away late night and early morning.

-brino
 
I came literally face-to-face with a Great Horned Owl in my chicken coop. Got in through a broken window (how the window got broken is a mystery...) and was enjoying the buffet.

Fortunately, he (or she...) had eaten so much that he was logy and just sort of sat there looking at me. Once I got my heart rate back to something resembling normal, I grabbed a broom and encouraged him out of the coop and into the yard.

He sat there for several minutes and finally gathered up the energy to take off. It was surreal watching a bird that big (conservative estimate: 4 foot wingspan) take off in absolute silence. Not a whisper.
 
Very impressive creatures, and WHO doesn't like owls. Have had many here over the years, and some were just huge. They often perch on the beams that extend from the roof of the house, and ask there eternal question. Mike
 
I like owls. This barred owl was at eye level in our driveway in 2008. I had to wait for my wife to go back to the house to get my camera and monopod. The owl waited patiently and I got this photo on the first try. After that the owl was more interested in the pray it was stalking in the grass below him and none of those other photos were very good.

Barred Owl 2-23-08_900.JPG
 
Tmate said:
Great horned owl. Took this pic at a falconry demonstration in Scotland.
Click to expand...
Been there, done that! My wife and I were at Dunrobin Castle in northeastern Scotland. watched the falconry demonstration. The young man giving the demonstration was showing the Peregrine Falcon's speed when he (unbeknownst to me at the time) had the falcon come in from behind us at well over 100 MPH. He had the bird come over MY head so close I could feel my hair move, scared the crap out of me! I loved it.
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One winter, we had the privilege of a several week long visit from a young barred owl on a tree outside our kitchen window. It would arrive every morning before sunrise and sit staring at the window until around 11:00. It may have been there to take advantage of the trapped mice that I would toss out.
Barred Owl 1.JPG

Other raptors that have graced our view were red tailed hawks, a bald eagle, and a wake of turkey vultures.
 
When living in Tucson we had a regular Pygmy owl that liked the Mesquite tree outside our front door, the tree's 3" spikes probably kept it well protected. Also had some bigger owl visitors. We would often go to the Desert Museum's birds of prey exhibition which was always quite amazing to be up and close with these magnificent birds.
pygmy owl.jpgowl 1.jpg
 
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