Snowy Owls
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I am in owl withdrawal right now! Today was not a bad day for sightings but I don't have anything to show for it! I saw a Long-eared Owl, which was perched deep inside branches so no photo, a Snowy Owl who wanted no part of having her picture taken and a Great Horned Owl with lots of branches in front. So I am taking one from the archives again.
Thank you. Your visits and comments are very much appreciated.
The owl showed well in the late afternoon winter sunlight, especially when it happened to look in my direction with those big eyes. The spot light effect captured the owl's form and feather detail nicely as well as making the overall image quite pleasing, despite the pesky wire fence. *
*Due to human encroachment, we often find the owls hunt along roadsides or perch on fence posts rather than the more photogenic (moss-lichen covered) branches.
Taken on: 2018 Archives; Nikon 300mm f4D+1.4X; 1/800; f7.1; ISO600.
There are many places to find the middle grey tone in the scene. I metered the grey tone and underexposed it by 2/3EV.
Thank you all very much for the visits and comments.
Over the holidays, I did manage to prepare, as promised, a short one and a half minute introductory video of the 'new' owl family: (A mother Barred Owl with her three owlets). It can be viewed at the following link: youtu.be/NhvW5AmrNoY
The mother is in the first clip, viewing the surroundings and eyeing some carrion. The following two clips show one of the nearby owlets giving a begging contact call. Wait till the end when it decides to walk down the branch.
It must be admitted that this opportunity came about by accidental baiting. A good friend of mine, who happens to work for ~3 local farmers to help rid them of crop pests, would come home and throw the dead invasive Gray Squirrels on his woodpile for the Ravens to dispose of. It was much to his surprise, when one day the Ravens were very upset because this large female Barred Owl came to inspect the situation. She became a regular visitor to his yard looking for free handouts, and he named her Gracie.
Then one morning he calls me and demands, "Come now!" I dropped what I was doing, grabbed the camera gear, my younger two children and raced over. Gracie had brought her three owlets to his yard.
I spent a wonderful couple hours enjoying the family before going to work. This was the only time the owlets came, and through this incident, we found out her nest that year was in a neighbour's backyard. We also discovered for the first time, that owls can indeed be interested in carrion.
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs, etc. without my permission.
As a creature of habit, I have clamed a pull off spot that I now visit every time I depart Muscatatuck NWR. It is a great spot to clean and pack away my camera gear and rearrange my car prior to hitting the highway for the hour trip home. On a recent visit as I was exiting the refuge, and as if on queue, this Coopers Hawk came whipping through the woods to land abruptly on the front gate. We both just sat and stared at each other as if I was waiting for it to exclaim its desires.
Doing what comes natural, I stuck my lens out the window and took several shots as he sat and stared. It was then that I had a flashback from my youth, from a TV show that has long since been canceled, The Beverly Hillbillies. I guess it is a good sign of a great theme song if you can remember it 50 years later as the phrase “Ya’ll come back now, ya hear” was said aloud, mixed with a hint of laughter as I drove past the hawk. He was much more serious about our encounter than I.
A Little Owl, seen here perched on top of a dead Oak stump. It may be diminutive in stature, but those keen eyes & impressive talons show why it is such a successful little predator.
Taken in Norfolk.
Some owls, e.g. the Great Horned Owl and the Long-eared Owl, have very distinct tufts on their heads that look like ears. According to the "Owls n Stuff" website, "The ear-like feather tufts characteristic of many species of owls are greatly reduced in Snowy Owls and are rarely visible, giving the head a typically rounded outline." Most of my shots of Snowy Owls show them with heads that look round. I was excited to get a shot of Ms. Snowy that showed her ear-tufts.
I went looking for more information about Snowy Owls' ears and learned that owls' ear-tufts are not ears and have nothing to do with hearing! Their real ears are on the sides of their heads and covered by feathers. I also learned that ornithologists have come up with several theories regarding the purpose of owls' ear-tufts, none of them conclusive.
This winter, to my great surprise, the village cemetery turned out to be a joyful place for me. This is because it was there that I found the same female Snowy Owl, again and again. I usually found her sitting on the ground in the snow or on a low cement bench. It was very different to drive to the cemetery one day and find Ms. Snowy perched atop a tombstone, not far from the road. I didn't realize it then, but this would be the last time I'd see Ms. Snowy. At least, for Winter 2017-2018. I'm not sure what to make of the inscription on the tombstone...if anything. I just know that I will be thrilled to go to the cemetery next winter and find a Snowy Owl!
Please note: In reality, the monument that the owl is sitting on shows the names of the deceased at the top of it with the words, "one day at a time" beneath the names. I didn't feel okay about showing the names, so I removed them in PS and moved the inscription upwards.
This guy was sitting on a perch with another owl but had to leave because something smelt fishy😜
Anyway after taking this photo I thought I would watch a show about owls to learn more about them. Found one called superb owl. Stupid spell check, turns out it was some American football game 😉
Have a nice week out there , owl be looking forward to seeing your photos on my feed
I popped up this evening to the field to see if we had any youngsters this year, unfortunately no show at the moment but I think I heard them so fingers crossed :-)
This guy shows up regularly in my backyard. My defense crows will harass him as soon as he shows up. So close today, I had to back up in order for my lens to focus. Then touched him with a short stick to get him to fly.
My Costa Rican guide, Ken Martinez (Featherhunters) and I set out goals before the trip. One of them was owls, particularly if nesting. This is an image of a Central American Pygmy-owl bringing a lizard back to its young. I thought kingfishers were fast. This little owl put them to shame. One morning I spent several long hot hours in the sun waiting for owl to show up. (I can hear the violins) Fortunately, they don’t come out of nowhere or getting an approach shot would be next to impossible. Usually, the male shows up with prey and transfers it to the female, who almost immediately “high tails” it to the nest. This gives you a fighting chance to get on your game. On this morning it was almost lunchtime when the owl finally gave me my chance. Thank you, Mr. Owl, for being a good provider. (Glaucidium griseiceps)
This guy shows up regularly in my backyard. My defense crows will harass him as soon as he shows up.
Large owl, mottled brown and white. Rounded head lacks ear tufts. Black eyes. Listen for its instantly recognizable “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all” call. Favors large, mature forests with deciduous and coniferous trees, often near water. Hunts small animals at night; however, is more active during the day than other owls. (eBird)
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We were looking for a Barn Owl that occasionally shows up in this area, but instead we found this lovely Barred Owl. He looked at us disapprovingly before going back to sleep.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. June 2022.
Eagle-Eye Tours - Ultimate British Columbia.
A Barn Owl during the flight show at the Pacific Northwest Raptor Center. (Duncan, BC).
This is one of the few in-flight shots I managed. I suspected the 400 mm lens would be too big for the flight field, and I was right. I was standing on the last bench, backed up against a row of bushes, and found that there just wasn't enough line of sight to get a decent lead on the birds before they flew by. This was hand held, and an experiment, since the 400 mm is the only decent long lens I have. The last time I was here I had a 75-300 mm kit lens with poor clarity and produced purple aura around whites, even on cloudy days...
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs, etc. without my permission.
Connecticut
Found perched high in a dark grove of tall pines. I liked this photo because it shows the beautiful blue of this owl's nictitating membrane.
This guy shows up regularly in my backyard. My defense crows will harass him as soon as he shows up.
Untertags halten sich die meisten Waldkäuze in Baumhöhlen auf. In der Dämmerung fliegen sie dann los zur Beutejagd.
Die große Schwierigkeit ist für jeden interessierten Fotografen das Auffinden des Schlafplatzes. Sogar wenn man weiß, in welchem Gebiet der Kauz haust, muss man Glück und Ausdauer haben um den Vogel zu entdecken.
Bei diesem Kauzfoto war es einfacher, den Vogel ausfindig zu machen, da auch schon Fotografen vor Ort waren und ihn ins Visier nahmen.
The cave dweller
During the day, most tawny owls stay in tree hollows. At dusk they fly off to hunt for prey.
The big difficulty for every interested photographer is to find the roosting place. Even if you know in which area the owl resides, you have to be lucky and persistent to spot the bird.
It was easier to spot the bird in this oddball photo, as photographers were already on site and had it in their sights.
This beautiful Barred owl showed up yesterday morning. He/she made a kill of a rabbit but the rabbit was too big for the owl to fly off with. So it stuck around for over 24hrs until it could eat enough of the rabbit to be able to fly off with it. It pulled the rabbit deep under the pines and it would eat then fly up in the high branches for a bit then back at eating. It's crazy how something can be so beautiful yet beastly at the same time.
"""Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good"""
Lyrics - Nina Simone, from the song Feeling Good
Wishing you all a fabulous feeling good weekend ahead with lots of sunshine and happy smiles. Wish we could fly into the blue sky like this little origami Barn Owl. ;-))
It is from the same designer, as the model I showed you yesterday (in case you missed that, see first comment box). It is a newer model, but you can see they are related by the shape of their eyes and head.
I folded it with a selfmade two layers Unryu tissue paper, 30x30cm. Kind of experimenting in glueing paper together. This came out all right.
Final size: height 12cm, length 15cm, width 4cm
Model: origami Barn Owl 2.0
Design: Riccardo Foschi
There is a video tutorial
“The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. A bird that stays awake when the rest of the world sleeps. They can see in the dark. I find that so interesting, to be mired in reality when the rest of the world is dreaming. What does he see and what does he know that the rest of the world is missing?”
Quote ― M.J. Rose
According to the diagrams this origami Owl is designed in 2010, that might explain why it is called version two. Yesterday I showed you a design from 2006 (see first comment box).
I folded this model also with gold foil 24x24cm.
Final size: height 7cm, length 6cm, width 7cm.
Have a nice start of your weekend!
Model: Origami Owl ver. 2
Design: Yoshio Tsuda
Diagrams in Tanteidan 16th Convention Book
You can find the diagrams also in the book 'The Graceful of Origami' by Makoto Yamaguchi, under the title "Owl">
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Eine Schleiereule (Tyto alba) - White barn owl in schönem Licht
My Owl album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/c6H5w912H9
My 2019-2023 tours album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/SKf0o8040w
My bird album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/1240SmAXK4
My nature album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/27PwYUERX2
Schleiereule (Tyto alba) - White barn owl
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schleiereule
Die Schleiereule (Tyto alba) ist eine Vogelart aus der Ordnung der Eulen (Strigiformes) und der Familie der Schleiereulen (Tytonidae). Die Schleiereule ist eine sehr helle, langbeinige Eule, die keine Federohren aufweist. Zu ihren auffälligsten Erkennungsmerkmalen gehören das herzförmige Gesicht sowie die verhältnismäßig kleinen, schwarzen Augen. Sie ist nachtaktiv und am Tage nur an ihren Ruheplätzen sowie am Brutplatz zu beobachten.
Die Schleiereule kommt als Brutvogel in vielen Regionen der Welt vor. Sie fehlt in der Tundra, den tropischen Regenwäldern sowie großen Teilen Asiens und in den Wüsten. In Mitteleuropa ist sie ein verbreiteter und häufiger Brutvogel, der vor allem in baumarmen Siedlungsgebieten im Tiefland vorkommt.
Beschreibung
Die 33–35 Zentimeter lange, hell gefärbte, langflügelige und langbeinige Eule erreicht eine Flügelspannweite von 85 bis zu 95 Zentimeter und hat recht kurze Schwanzfedern. Männchen und Weibchen ähneln einander sehr, Weibchen sind im Allgemeinen jedoch etwas größer als das Männchen und etwas dunkler gefärbt. Das Gewicht reicht von etwa 200 Gramm bei den kleinsten Formen (etwa auf den Galápagos-Inseln) bis zu über 500 Gramm etwa bei der Nordamerikanischen Schleiereule, europäische Schleiereulen wiegen zwischen 300 Gramm (Männchen) bis etwa 400 Gramm (Weibchen).
Der namensgebende, ausgeprägte herzförmige Gesichtsschleier ist sehr hell, je nach Unterart ist er weiß bis hellgrau oder leicht rostrot. Die Oberseite des Körpers ist meist goldbraun mit einer feinen grauen Fleckenzeichnung. Die Unterseite kann von einem sehr reinen Weiß bis zu einem hellen Braun variieren, außerdem unterscheiden sich die Zeichnungen und Fleckungen der einzelnen Unterarten sehr deutlich voneinander. Der Schnabel ist blassgelb, die Krallen sind hornfarben, die Iris der Augen ist dunkelbraun bis schwarz. Die Zehen sind fast unbefiedert und dunkelgraubraun.
Die Nestlinge weisen im Unterschied zu anderen Eulen zwei aufeinanderfolgende Dunenkleider auf: Das erste Dunenkleid ist weiß und kurz. An den Halsseiten fehlt es fast ganz. Nach etwa zwölf Tagen folgt ein dichteres und längeres Dunenkleid, das an der Körperoberseite grau und an der Körperunterseite gelblich getönt ist. Die Augen öffnen sich ab dem achten Tag. Die Iris ist anfänglich blau und färbt im Verlauf von vier Wochen in ein Dunkelbraun um. Der Schnabel ist beim Schlupf weißlichrosa, nimmt aber sehr schnell eine graue Färbung an. Die Zehen sind anfangs rosagelb und haben bis zum Flüggewerden der Jungeulen eine dunkelgraue Farbe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_owl
The barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as the common barn owl, to distinguish it from other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (Strigidae). The barn owl is found almost everywhere in the world except polar and desert regions, in Asia north of the Himalaya, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific islands.[2]
Phylogenetic evidence shows that there are at least three major lineages of barn owl, one in Europe, western Asia and Africa, one in southeast Asia and Australasia, and one in the Americas, and some highly divergent taxa on islands. Accordingly, some authorities split the group into the western barn owl for the group in Europe, western Asia and Africa, the American barn owl for the group in the Americas, and the eastern barn owl for the group in southeast Asia and Australasia. Some taxonomic authorities further split the group, recognising up to five species, and further research needs to be done to clarify the position. There is a considerable variation between the sizes and colour of the approximately 28 subspecies but most are between 33 and 39 cm (13 and 15 in) in length with wingspans ranging from 80 to 95 cm (31 to 37 in). The plumage on head and back is a mottled shade of grey or brown, the underparts vary from white to brown and are sometimes speckled with dark markings. The face is characteristically heart-shaped and is white in most subspecies. This owl does not hoot, but utters an eerie, drawn-out shriek.
The barn owl is nocturnal over most of its range, but in Britain and some Pacific islands, it also hunts by day. Barn owls specialise in hunting animals on the ground and nearly all of their food consists of small mammals which they locate by sound, their hearing being very acute. They usually mate for life unless one of the pair is killed, when a new pair bond may be formed. Breeding takes place at varying times of year according to locality, with a clutch, averaging about four eggs, being laid in a nest in a hollow tree, old building or fissure in a cliff. The female does all the incubation, and she and the young chicks are reliant on the male for food. When large numbers of small prey are readily available, barn owl populations can expand rapidly, and globally the bird is considered to be of least conservation concern. Some subspecies with restricted ranges are more threatened.
Most often when we spot a Snowy Owl it is perched on a fence post, building or utility pole but occasionally we spot one in a field or on a lakeshore. Snowy Owls are heavy feeders of lemmings and voles in their normal Arctic habitat but if the populations of their prey diminishes enough they move south in search of food and their numbers here in the south reflect that. They are one of the largest species of owl in the world and is the provincial bird of Quebec.
Being a bird of the wide open tundra and a ground nester they defend their territory and their young on the nest very aggressively. Predators as large as Arctic Foxes have come under attack by this raptor.
While hunting they will hover or swoop down from their perch while preying on voles, lemmings, grouse, hares, weasels and occasionally songbirds, fish and waterbirds. Often they are seen punching through the snow to snatch a victim.
This immature bird is surveying his surroundings for a potential victim. His heavily feathered feet show us how well they are suited for their Arctic climate.
Amazing day today where the light went from awesome in the am to absolutely flat in the pm. But that’s the least of the excitement. The coyote decided to put in an early afternoon visit, probably will show that tomorrow and then incredibly enough, my prayers for a Snowy Owl were answered partially by the appearance of a Saw-whet Owl. (Identification courtesy of lamoustique) Yes, another first for the yard and the camera. I suspect this little visitor was attracted by the mouse colony that makes its home outside close to the bird seed. In a way, that bird seed, either directly or indirectly, is responsible for a fair number of different yard visitors. My little buddy did not seem too impressed with our current cold snap -25C/-13F. So, we both began to hum …
This guy shows up regularly in my backyard. My defense crows will harass him as soon as he shows up.
These Saw-whet Owl fledglings were removed from their nest box for a few minutes by an expert handler so we could photograph them. They showed no fear and regarded us and our photographic gear with great interest.
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Eine Schleiereule (Tyto alba) - White barn owl in schönem Licht
My Owl album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/c6H5w912H9
My 2019-2023 tours album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/SKf0o8040w
My bird album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/1240SmAXK4
My nature album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/27PwYUERX2
My Canon EOS R / R5 / R6 album is here:
www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/bgkttsBw35
Schleiereule (Tyto alba) - White barn owl
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schleiereule
Die Schleiereule (Tyto alba) ist eine Vogelart aus der Ordnung der Eulen (Strigiformes) und der Familie der Schleiereulen (Tytonidae). Die Schleiereule ist eine sehr helle, langbeinige Eule, die keine Federohren aufweist. Zu ihren auffälligsten Erkennungsmerkmalen gehören das herzförmige Gesicht sowie die verhältnismäßig kleinen, schwarzen Augen. Sie ist nachtaktiv und am Tage nur an ihren Ruheplätzen sowie am Brutplatz zu beobachten.
Die Schleiereule kommt als Brutvogel in vielen Regionen der Welt vor. Sie fehlt in der Tundra, den tropischen Regenwäldern sowie großen Teilen Asiens und in den Wüsten. In Mitteleuropa ist sie ein verbreiteter und häufiger Brutvogel, der vor allem in baumarmen Siedlungsgebieten im Tiefland vorkommt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_owl
The barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as the common barn owl, to distinguish it from other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (Strigidae). The barn owl is found almost everywhere in the world except polar and desert regions, in Asia north of the Himalaya, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific islands.[2]
Phylogenetic evidence shows that there are at least three major lineages of barn owl, one in Europe, western Asia and Africa, one in southeast Asia and Australasia, and one in the Americas, and some highly divergent taxa on islands. Accordingly, some authorities split the group into the western barn owl for the group in Europe, western Asia and Africa, the American barn owl for the group in the Americas, and the eastern barn owl for the group in southeast Asia and Australasia. Some taxonomic authorities further split the group, recognising up to five species, and further research needs to be done to clarify the position. There is a considerable variation between the sizes and colour of the approximately 28 subspecies but most are between 33 and 39 cm (13 and 15 in) in length with wingspans ranging from 80 to 95 cm (31 to 37 in). The plumage on head and back is a mottled shade of grey or brown, the underparts vary from white to brown and are sometimes speckled with dark markings. The face is characteristically heart-shaped and is white in most subspecies. This owl does not hoot, but utters an eerie, drawn-out shriek.
Snowy Owl.... !!!
I went to East Coast Solo last weekend to find the Snowy Owls and long tailed ducks for the target birds. I was over 2500 miles for the first time for birding!!
I was the only one arrived at the parking lot an hour early before the other photographers show up. I looked through my car window in the dark and I saw this white ball not far away from my car. I was so excited. (You know, how the exciting when you are the first time see the snowy owls) I knew it was a snowy owl instantly. I did not know what to prepare in the cold weather before. So I just got out the car and tried to setup my gears. Oh boy, it did not take long, my hand freaking cold and I had troubled to turn the tripod knobs to lock my lens because my hands were too cold. I struggle a few seconds before I was ready. I shots for a few minutes before other people started to show up and I ran back to the car to warm myself up for a few minutes...
Here is Ms. Snowy Owl pre-dawn shot with this settings 1/80s, f4.0, ISO1250, tripod and remote trigger.
Special thanks to all the friends gave me tips and advices how to deal with cold weather and how to find the snowy owls. You know who you are 😍..
This guy shows up regularly in my backyard. My defense crows will harass him as soon as he shows up.
Burrowing Owls are great fun to observe and photograph. This little owlet was a bit bigger than its siblings and seemed to show it with confidence and elan. It's easy to fall in love with them. They are well taken care of by parents and humans alike. Dogs, not so much. For whatever reason, I'd like to name this guy Charley. (Athene cunicularia)
This Barn Owl had caught a Bank Vole he then ate it in the middle of a very quiet lane . It was wonderful to capture the whole feeding sequence , after it was all done and the Owl had flown the only thing to show what had happened where the entrails of the Vole left on the tarmac . I hope the image was too strong for anyone viewing it but this was the Owl removing entrails to put aside and not something I had seen before .
In the previous post, this Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) was observed focusing on the snow covered ground below it, using its disked shaped face to pick up any sounds of movement under the snow cover. The bird appears to be in quite good shape so hunting must be successful for it despite the injury to its left eye. This shows that it is still a successful hunter despite its visual handicap of being reduced to one eye.
This bird was observed in the area of Opal, Alberta, Canada.
25 February, 2018.
Slide # GWB_20180225_0051.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
A male Great Horned Owl displays his rat to me in Pinellas County, Florida, USA.
This photograph/image is copyrighted and may not be used in any way without my permission. If you would like to use it, please contact me via Flickr mail.
Thanks for visiting and for your faves and comments.
If you'd like to see more of my owl images, go to schockenphotography.com. I have many images of owls and their families, eagles and other raptors as well as woodpeckers and their families, hummingbirds, songbirds and mammals and I have a full section on birds in flight which is my specialty.
Not a preferred crop with the bird near the centre, but I wanted to show some green and some background at the same time.
I stood and waiting for 3.5 hours for this little one to show! Its my first wild owl encounter and its going to be one ill remember forever! Absolutely beautiful birds.
The Mottled Wood Owl is a large owl found around thick woody areas in the countryside. This is a true nocturnal owl active at nights and often hard to see in the day. But we got lucky this time as the day was quite cloudy and hence the owl was still active.
When the Owl came out of tree cover, the Shikra (Goshawk) which surprisingly was roosting and nesting (which I came to know after a few days) in the same tree attacked the Owl. The Owl isn't an agile flyer, and found itself challenged repeatedly by the Shikra which pecked the Owl several times on the head. The Owl had to land on bare trees and face the Shikra at which point the aggressor landed safely far away. The Shikra was attacking the Owl whenever it was flying and was at a disadvantage. This happened for a while after which the Owl disappeared into the canopy, while the Shikra went about on its day business!
This shot shows the Shikra ruffling some feathers of the Owl. The Owl seemed a bit annoyed, but didn't seem to care much or follow the Shikra. It landed on a perch and faced the Shikra at which point, the Shikra literally took flight!
Thank you so much in advance for your views, faves and feedback.
This guy shows up regularly in my backyard. My defense crows will harass him as soon as he shows up.
While on our bird trip to Panama we were lucky enough to have a local gardener show us where this Spectacled Owl was hiding on the grounds that he maintained. This was in the Anton Mountains region of Panama.
We crawled on our hands and knees in the underbrush to get a view - - there was so many branches in front of him except for this one angle.
Barred Owls have personality. The are diurnal, which means we have some light to observe and photograph them. They have great calls. I particularly agree when the pair join in for a lively conversation. I was fortunate to catch this moment when they joined up on the branch and showed some affection for each other.
The regal Snowy Owl is one of the few birds that can get even non-birders to come out for a look. This largest (by weight) North American owl shows up irregularly in winter to hunt in windswept fields or dunes, a pale shape with catlike yellow eyes. They spend summers far north of the Arctic Circle hunting lemmings, ptarmigan, and other prey in 24-hour daylight. In years of lemming population booms they can raise double or triple the usual number of young.
In New York, the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) is considered endangered, though it seems to be holding better in other parts of its range. These stunning and gregarious owls benefited greatly from mankind's agricultural revolution, as they adore hunts on open fields. In fact, whenever such a field exists, they'll even sleep in them during the day, nestled away in tall grasses. Sure, short-ears will roost in trees when absolutely necessary, but only begrudgingly when thick blankets of snow have stolen their grassy hillocks. The ground is even where they lay their eggs and rear their young! Still, they fly like any other owl on silent wings. And they do so more often during the day than many others, often coming out an hour or two before sun fall and putting on acrobatic shows in groups of other short-ears and northern harriers.