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From Caitlin Skaggs
Hope you enjoy this Sweet face as much as I did! >Eastern Screech Owl Kentucky - 10/24
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From Howard Wu
I couldn't believe my luck -- the first owl l've photographed in the Pacific Northwest and it's a new one for me: Northern Pygmy-owl!
It landed in a tree right in front of me. would not have found it had I not seen it landing - they are very small, as their name suggests, and pretty well camouflaged in the moss-draped trees.
It may have taken me years trying to find one, but this one just popped up out of nowhere, totally unexpected!
Snohomish County, WA
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From Bryce Gaudian
I discovered there are A LOT of Great Horned Owls in the Salton Sea area of the Mohave Desert of southern California! I was able to spot and photograph 10 different Great Horned Owls in one day.
Interesting account on the top one in an abandoned barn in rural Westmorland, CA. So my friend was driving and was on the lookout for Burrowing Owls which were literally EVERYWHERE. We were driving by an abandoned barn about 100 feet off the road and said out loud, "Wouldn't it be something if there was an owl in there!"
As we are driving by it must be my brain being in owl facial recognition mode cuz through a broken out window, from the road, while we are driving by, think I see an owl up on one of the rafters.
We pull over and get out and cross a deep drainage ditch and approach the barn and low and behold, there are two Great Horned Owls inside.
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From Raven Ridge Wildlife Center
We received an urgent call about a magnificent brown owl stranded in the middle of a field during harvest. Despite the farmer's best efforts, they couldn't stop the big tractor, but they managed to carefully place the distressed owl in a blueberry box. Our dedicated volunteer easily located the box in the vast field and swiftly brought the owl to our center, where we discovered a severe broken wing. Thanks to the incredible support from Companion Animal Hospital, Dr. Parsons promptly conducted X-rays, revealing the severity of the injury. Although the road ahead is tough, we are determined to give this beautiful owl a fighting chance through an upcoming surgery with the skilled hands of Dr. Libby and Dr. Parsons on Tuesday. Your hope and prayers mean the world to us as we strive to save this precious endangered owl.
The short-eared owl population in Pennsylvania is on a rapid decline. Estimating their numbers is challenging, but it's believed that their population is dwindling by more than 10% each year. These captivating creatures are endangered in Pennsylvania due to the alarming loss of their natural habitat. Designated as endangered in 1985, the short-eared owl remains on the state's endangered species list due to its limited distribution and dwindling breeding population.
In Pennsylvania, the encroachment of development and modern agricultural practices has drastically diminished the open spaces vital for the survival of short-eared owls. These elusive owls are often spotted during winter in farnmlands and wetlands, captivating observers with their graceful hunting at dawn, dusk, and midday in open fields and strip mines.
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From Will Huff
A burrowing owl in Florida looking directly at my camera. I had to crawl on my belly to get the purple/pink flowers behind the owl to give a cool background.
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Happy release to these two sister barn owls! They both jumped from their nest high up in a silo, one slightly after the other. With time in our hospital, and graduation from live prey training; they are both well flighted and ready for release! Both were reunited back home, and flew straight into their barn.
Our hospital released an additional 4 barn owls this past week, all flying beautifully!
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You may remember this beauty who had her wing cut by a chainsaw. Well, she got her outdoor space today! We are naming her Notch (type of chainsaw cut) and she is now on the hard road to build flight strength for her eventual Freedom Day.
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A particularly rewarding part of volunteering at Owl Moon is sharing stories of our experiences with family and friends. Recently, a volunteer's family member was brought into the action directly! On March 12, Julia's dad was on his way to work when he noticed an adult female barred owl on the side of the road. She was likely struck by a car and suffering from resultant head and eye trauma. Recognizing that the barred owl needed help, Julia's father acted quickly by containing the bird gently and bringing her to safety at the Center. The barred owl was easy to capture-a sure sign of serious injuries.
Thanks to the six months of dedicated care she received at Owl Moon, this brave owl nicknamed Willow made a remarkable recovery. A crucial part of Willow's recovery included a veterinary ophthalmologist checking out her eyes to clear her for release. And just a few Fridays ago, we did indeed return her to the wild! Inspiring our families and friends to take action for injured birds of prey is a great way to affect change in our communities. Each story we share, especially impactful through word of mouth, helps spread awareness and encourages others to get involved.
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From Ojai Raptor Center
Yesterday [10 OCT], the California Fish and Game Commission made a significant move in the fight to protect the Western Burrowing Owl, granting it "candidate" status under the California Endangered Species Act. This means the species will be temporarily protected while a full review is conducted over the next 12 to 18 months. Burrowing owls are facing steep declines with only 225 breeding pairs left in parts of central and southwestern California.
Though Sacramento was too far for our team to attend, we felt strongly about having a presence at this important meeting, especially in memory of our recently passed Burrowing Owl ambassador, Topper. These unique owls, who roost and nest underground, face countless threats, and we believe they deserve full protection to safeguard their future. Click the link ~~below~~ [here] to read more about what this decision means for the Western Burrowing Owl.
The link is short but informative and has a cute picture, so I encourage you to read it.
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From Cynthia Rand
Nature provided just the right frame to complement this Screech Owl's beautiful eyes!
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From Bryce Gaudian
Burrowing Owl north of Calipatria, California in the Salton Sea area of the Mojave Desert. April 2024. - in Calipatria, CA
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Bill Bailey [British comedian] bought caged owl from restaurant in China and set it free
(lemmy.world)
This story is a bit old, but popped up in today's news.
From The Telegraph
Comedian took advice from expert at London Zoo before releasing female Eurasian eagle-owl into local forest
Bill Bailey has revealed how he bought a caged owl from a restaurant in China and set it free in a forest.
The comedian and Strictly winner, 59, has released a memoir titled My Animals and Other Animals, a chronology of his life hinged around all the animals he has met along the way.
Bailey told BBC Breakfast: “We were travelling through China in Guangdong province and we went to a restaurant, and I was with the family, and there was an owl in the restaurant.
“It was never really explicitly mentioned whether it was going to be eaten or whether it was for, you know, demo purposes.
“It was in a cage alongside a lot of other animals, and we felt sorry for it. So we said, we have to get this owl out of here. We offered to buy it off them, and then they were quite happy to sell it to us.
“We bought the owl, and they taped it up and put it in a box, and we carried it off in a taxi to release it somewhere.”
After phoning an owl expert at London Zoo from China, Bailey said they had found a forest, adding: “We let it go and it flew off. It was a wonderful moment.”
In the book, Bailey says the owl was a female Eurasian eagle-owl, and he paid 400 yuan for it, which is just over £40 today.
According to the Peregrine Fund, which works to conserve birds of prey worldwide, the Eurasian eagle-owl is “among the world’s largest owls”, its “pumpkin orange eyes and feathery ear tufts make them one of the most striking owls in the world”.
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Some could argue there isn't much story here, but after going back and forth on sharing this, I thought it was interesting to look how laws work both in favor of the owls and against them, and the locals' concern about them and desire to see them taken care of.
Let me know your thoughts! I'll include some bonus pics in exchange for reading this.
From the Midland Reporter-Telegram
Residents concerned about fate of Texas burrowing owls amid new construction By Kessly Salinas
Texas burrowing owls have found a home in the burrows of a prairie dog town in an empty lot near Front Street and North Adams Street but will soon need to find a new one.
According to Donnabelle and Mike Hutt, there is about 8 to 10 burrowing owls that have made the abandoned prairie dog town their home.
After continuously seeing a food truck park in the same lot that the owls are living in, the couple worked to raise awareness about the birds, reaching out to officials to ensure the safety of the owls.
Now, the couple’s concern is reaching a new level. Construction for a new Dollar Tree will begin soon in the owls’ lot, and the duo is worried about the fate of these feathery neighbors.
Michael Nickell, museum scientist at the Sibley Nature Center, said that Texas burrowing owls are unique in that they reside underground. They might not always dig their own burrow, so they like to reside in abandoned prairie dog colonies.
Corrie Borgman, migratory bird biologist and nongame/landbird specialist at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that because burrowing owls like living in abandoned quarters of prairie dog colonies, the two animals are often associated together.
Nickell added that the burrowing owl is a migratory bird, so they are considered a protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
“A protected species doesn’t necessarily mean they’re endangered, threatened or vulnerable,” Nickell told the Reporter-Telegram. “But because the burrowing owl is a migratory species, it does fall under the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.”
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 was established to ensure the sustainability of populations of all protected migratory bird species, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The treaty protects over 1,000 species in North America.
“The MBTA protects birds themselves, as well as their eggs, their nests and any body parts such as feathers and things like that,” Borgman said. “It’s prohibited to kill a burrowing owl directly or remove it’s nest.”
If a burrowing owl built a nest and laid eggs in it, the nest would have to remain undisturbed until the birds have fledged.
Borgman said that although the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects birds, eggs and their nests, it doesn’t protect habitats.
“If the food truck is parking directly on top of the burrow, it could be problematic,” Borgman said. “I think that it could easily be a conversation explaining to the owners that they don’t have to park directly on top because they are protected.”
She added that it’s a situation that could be resolved.
“Texas Parks and Wildlife has management guidelines that says to conduct activities at a minimum of 100 feet from the nesting sites,” Borgman said.
She said that although parking directly on top would lead to people disturbing the ground each time someone walks up to the food truck, if there was a minimum buffer between the truck and the nest, they could coexist in the same lot.
With a safe distance, the owls wouldn’t be hurt by the foot traffic that the food truck creates.
Game Warden Philip Bird added that a food truck creates very low disturbances to the burrowing owls.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act doesn’t protect habitats, it only protects the birds, their nests and their eggs.
Donnabelle and Mike Hutt suspected that the owls were protecting a nest and newly lain eggs, but if there aren't any eggs and nests right now, there isn’t much that can be done for the owls.
“It’s not nesting season for any bird in Texas at the moment,” Bird said. “Burrowing owls are federally protected, so there may be some type of permit that the construction company needs to get but that’s not something that the state regulates.”
Since it is not nesting season, the burrowing owls would just have to find a new habitat. Because natural habitat loss happens due to development, Texas Parks and Wildlife has constructed a guide about how to build artificial den sites in urban areas.
Bird said that burrowing owls’ nest anywhere that there’s prairie dog town and that there is plenty all over west Texas. The burrowing owls will be able to adapt and find a new home.
“I assume that when construction begins in earnest, the owls would fly off and find a better habitat for themselves,” Bird said. “It’s not nesting season, so there’s not really a state violation occurring.”
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From Ojai Raptor Center
It's hard to believe, but the unfortunate predicament that Great Horned Owl patient 24-680 found itself in is not as rare as one might think. This owl was rescued after becoming lodged in the grill of a vehicle. Remarkably, we receive about one of these cases a year, and most of the raptors we've treated have survived this traumatic ordeal. Despite the severity of the accident, 24-680 is expected to make a full recovery, even after suffering a broken fibula (visible in the radiograph in the final slide).
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From the Center for Wildlife
Lucy, our non-releasable Eastern Screech Owl ambassador, along with our team of educators had a blast educating students from Barrington Middle School at the summit of @mtagamenticus today!
A couple hundred students spent the day exploring Mount Agamenticus and learning a variety of topics including habitat, conservation, wildlife and more.
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Photo by Paul Bannik
Northern Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) A male Northern Hawk Owl attempts to feed a disinterested fledgling. Northern Hawks are among several species that specialize in small mammals and can have very large broods of several youngsters when voles populations are high. Such owls frequently cache excess prey when youngsters have had their fill and attempt to deliver the same meals later.
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From Blackland Prairie Raptor Center
It's not always obvious why a bird isn't feeling well, so we run blood work on the majority of birds that come in, to help us figure out what's wrong. This barred owl was lethargic with no obvious reason why but it had a surprise in its blood. It had parasites in its red blood cells. The pointer in the picture below is pointing to a red blood cell filled with a parasite. With supportive care this barred owl is clearing the parasites from its blood and is active again!
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From Eric D. Olick
I'm hoping to see more eastern screech owls around in the spring of 2025- they are so expressive and fun to watch and photograph!
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