That's a fantastic story.My wife and I found one that had apparently hit a service wire across the very remote road leading back to our cabin. One of its wings was dislocated. Eventually we found a cottage with lights on and was able to borrow the phone to call a DNR warden. He was able to meet us in a town about 30 miles away and took the tiny little owl to a raptor rehab center in Minoqua, WI. Because it was struggling and cold I wrapped the wings to the body with Scotch tape and secured the bird in one of my Mil-Surp wool watch caps. When the warden got to the rehab center the wing had slipped back into joint. After two weeks of healing they returned the bird to the area we had found it. The warden called us when we were back home, initially when he learned that the owl was going to be okay, and again when the owl was released.
There's about 14 acres here in the middle of town that are not developed. There's a number of birds around here because of it. Woodpeckers, owls, hawks. The Cooper's Hawks are fun to watch chase other birds through the woods.Got them little devils here all over the place. In a month, they'll be screeching and saw whetting something awful down alon the river.
Having observed a pair in the back yard, at almost dark, they come out and sit as it starts to get dark. Kind of wake up. Then, they'll move to another spot. Usually low and sit until dark. Then, gone until tomorrow night and repeat the same routine. Sometimes on same limbs. Eat a lot of mice./beagle
When I first saw it it gave me a little scare. It blended in so well it looked like the tree had eyes. Very creepy. And it just didn't move. Like it was part of the tree. Even when I walked up to only 6 or 7 feet away from it, it stayed still, looking all creepy.I don't SEE may owls any more, since I don't get out in the woods much these days, but we hear them hooting in the yard and see pellets under the aromatic cedars. My daughter and I have both seen snowy owls, near dusk, when the snow's coming in sideways. They seem to like to hunt in that.
Those little screech-owls though,... There's not much that gives me a start, let alone creeps me out, but when one of those little buggers cries out when you don't expect it,... instantaneous and momentary goosebumps, butt-pucker, terror-stricken, muscle and mind paralysis - like a full inner-body wash of raw moonshine from toes to scalp, only to be abated by the thought that such a reaction was effected by such a darling little creature.
Luckily, that entire process occurs in less than a second, so my bladder and bowels don't even have time to decide to evacuate.
Owls are the most amazing of birds.
Grew up here in Carter Co. Ky,lots of owls & hawks. Always had barn owls, when I was younger(pre teens) they could/would scare the bejesus outta me. O, Liked the moonshine commit.I don't SEE may owls any more, since I don't get out in the woods much these days, but we hear them hooting in the yard and see pellets under the aromatic cedars. My daughter and I have both seen snowy owls, near dusk, when the snow's coming in sideways. They seem to like to hunt in that.
Those little screech-owls though,... There's not much that gives me a start, let alone creeps me out, but when one of those little buggers cries out when you don't expect it,... instantaneous and momentary goosebumps, butt-pucker, terror-stricken, muscle and mind paralysis - like a full inner-body wash of raw moonshine from toes to scalp, only to be abated by the thought that such a reaction was effected by such a darling little creature.
Luckily, that entire process occurs in less than a second, so my bladder and bowels don't even have time to decide to evacuate.
Owls are the most amazing of birds.
This is sad. I hope it is not a trend.I have seen a disproportionately large number of owls killed alongside our highways this Winter, both Great Horned and Barred, and I don't have an explanation. Something is going on however. Either food sources are being attracted near the highway or the new car headlights are somehow deceiving the owls, but it is disturbing.
We get a lot of transients here just north of DFW airport. I'm in town, but on some of the last undeveloped land with oak trees and some adjacent open space. It's fun to watch the Cooper's Hawks chasing birds through the woods, Red Tails looking for rats, and the many shockingly tiny birds that still seem to survive the cold on their way through. All good stuff.we have alot of hawks, such as red tailed, red shoulder, cooper, rough legged and one broad wing hawk.
a couple of years ago, we've have American bald eagles flying around my shop.
once in a while i've seen peregrine and kestrel falcons.
For some morphs, they're not very different looking.Memory can be such a tricky thing. I was telling Sue about our digital conversation over the screech owl and the one we rescued when suddenly I recalled all the facts were correct save one very important one, the owl. It was a Saw Whet Owl not an Eastern Screech Owl. My only excuse was that the incident was over 25 years ago.
My only excuse was that the incident was over 25 years ago.