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Post by aDave on Apr 30, 2018 16:58:52 GMT -5
Well, it's not quite photography, but I thought this might be the most appropriate place for this short video considering the other content here. Yesterday, my wife was at her mom's property in town to do a bit of maintenance around a barn owl box that we put up about 7 years ago. We had actually put up two, but the other box had to come down when the telephone pole it was installed on was removed. Since the boxes were put in, they never got occupied by barn owls - we checked every year. The first year, a screech owl took brief residence in one, but that's about it. As to yesterday, my wife was lifted up to the box to do her work, and when she took a look inside, this is what she found. Yep, scared the crap out of her at first since she wasn't expecting to see anything. Sabre52 |
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Post by Pat on Apr 30, 2018 17:12:38 GMT -5
Lots of somethings with a big tooth and hissing would scare me, too!
What a surprise !
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Post by MsAli on Apr 30, 2018 17:12:44 GMT -5
YEAH OWLS!! OMG THOSE ARE CUTE!!!! Love the hissing.
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lookatthat
Cave Dweller 
Whatever there is to be found.
Member since May 2017
Posts: 1,360 
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Post by lookatthat on Apr 30, 2018 18:22:55 GMT -5
Hissing and weaving... like they are trying to hypnotize you.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 30, 2018 20:23:15 GMT -5
OMG they are so cute! I love owls. Probably the coolest birds ever.
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Post by MsAli on Apr 30, 2018 22:46:06 GMT -5
OMG they are so cute! I love owls. Probably the coolest birds ever. I am a birds of prey freak Owls will always be at the top of the list |
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Post by gmitch067 on May 1, 2018 0:25:38 GMT -5
kk... How 'bout Owl faces for a carving project. They are kind of cute. My late Wife belonged to the Audubon Society and had cassette tapes of Owl screeches and hawk calls... I played one to my parakeet to try to get it to chirp and sing (as you can now see I know nothing about bird psychology...)... Our parakeet dropped to the floor of the cage and shook with fear... I guess they don't like Owls... My loving wife threw my dinner bowl out back with the dog house (my second home).
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Post by fernwood on May 1, 2018 3:55:00 GMT -5
That is a great surprise.
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Post by kk on May 1, 2018 5:43:23 GMT -5
kk... How 'bout Owl faces for a carving project. They are kind of cute. Did a few, but nothing special came of them. Maybe I should revisit an abandoned project from a couple of years ago.  |
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Post by fantastic5 on May 1, 2018 6:30:08 GMT -5
aDave what a wonderful surprise! They are so cute. Thank you so much for sharing, you put my morning on the right track 
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 1, 2018 8:52:31 GMT -5
OMG they are so cute! I love owls. Probably the coolest birds ever. I am a birds of prey freak Owls will always be at the top of the list Me too. We have great horned owls around here, but rarely get to see one. We've got Harris hawks nesting in one of our trees and see Swainson, Red Tail, and the occasional Bald Eagle flying around. Love watching them. |
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Post by fantastic5 on May 1, 2018 12:00:28 GMT -5
OMG they are so cute! I love owls. Probably the coolest birds ever. I am a birds of prey freak Owls will always be at the top of the list Me too MsAli ! Birds of prey are high on my most watched list. We are very lucky this year, as we have a pair of Red Shouldered hawks that nested right above my chicken coop (no more free range chickens BTW). I was working in the garden this past weekend and could hear the youngsters begin to call to the parents. Every so often one would poke his head up and watch me. Needless to say I spent more time looking up at the nest than actually planting my garden. LOL still have a lot to plant. This was a few months ago, outside my back door.  Several years ago we had a great horned owl that nested across the street. He loved to land on my fence and watch me mow the yard. Would let me get really close on the rider too. It was really cool, but I never did get a photo of him. |
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Post by rockjunquie on May 1, 2018 12:27:17 GMT -5
AWESOME!!!!!
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Post by MsAli on May 1, 2018 12:28:35 GMT -5
I am a birds of prey freak Owls will always be at the top of the list Me too MsAli ! Birds of prey are high on my most watched list. We are very lucky this year, as we have a pair of Red Shouldered hawks that nested right above my chicken coop (no more free range chickens BTW). I was working in the garden this past weekend and could hear the youngsters begin to call to the parents. Every so often one would poke his head up and watch me. Needless to say I spent more time looking up at the nest than actually planting my garden. LOL still have a lot to plant. This was a few months ago, outside my back door. Several years ago we had a great horned owl that nested across the street. He loved to land on my fence and watch me mow the yard. Would let me get really close on the rider too. It was really cool, but I never did get a photo of him. So pretty! I have a peregrine that comes through the apartment complex, but she is so fast I never get a picture. Couple weeks ago I had a Coopers Hawk sit in the tree by my balcony. I was a total nerd and got all excited |
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Post by MsAli on May 1, 2018 12:29:32 GMT -5
Coopers Hawk by my balcony  |
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Post by rockpickerforever on May 1, 2018 12:53:12 GMT -5
I always notice the raptors as well. Saw a small chicken hawk or falcon fly past at the silent auction yesterday.
From March 2015, an Osprey crunching on either a fish from the nearby reservoir (most likely) or a hapless lizard. No feathers floating down, lol. On the phone pole in front of my house. 
Taking off.
Such noble birds!
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Post by fantastic5 on May 1, 2018 14:48:05 GMT -5
Coopers Hawk by my balcony Great picture of that Coopers! We had a Coopers that nested near where the hawks have their nest now. I finally had to pull in all my bird feeders. While I was feeding the song birds, I was also feeding the Cooper family. It would break my heart to come home from work to yet another pile of song bird feathers near the feeder. Coopers are supposed to take larger birds like Jays, but I think the song birds were just such an easy meal it was too hard to pass up. I don't see any falcons up near my house, but they are downtown near the river. Bald eagles are a special treat. They are slowly coming back. I believe the first few pairs were transplanted about 18 years ago. Now they are not to difficult to find if you know where they tend to nest. |
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Post by fantastic5 on May 1, 2018 14:49:32 GMT -5
Taking off. Great picture!!! |
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Post by rockpickerforever on May 1, 2018 14:52:26 GMT -5
Thanks. Would have been better if I was good enough with a handheld camera to get him properly framed!
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Post by aDave on May 15, 2018 19:34:08 GMT -5
Well, yesterday, my wife wanted to see what was going on in the owl box. Doing some research, we had learned that clutch survival rate to fledging is somewhere around 87%, so she wanted to see how they were doing. That estimate, based upon other info I've seen may be highly optimistic at the end of the day. Also, we've seen info that if food supply is short, the young owls may even cannibalize one of their own if need be.
Quite frankly, I can't figure out how the adults exited the box I built. But, they clearly have, as these owlets would have never survived in the first place. I'm left wondering if the young ones can figure their way out.
Back to yesterday...As soon as she got to the top of the ladder and placed her phone near the opening, we heard movement, clicking, and ultimately hissing. This is how they look now. Coloration is more distinct, and they are looking more like adults. Maybe they'll be leaving soon. At least I hope they will.
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