Hoot Owl Convention

[Don P]

Before we had chickens we had corn, those crows could tell the shotgun from the rifle, knowing at ~150 yards they could keep on munching if I had the shotgun on the porch but they had better scoot if I had the rifle :D.

[sawguy21]

One morning while on a walk I saw an owl sitting on a fence post on the other side of the road, that is not common here at least in my experience. It watched me go by then flew off. I find them fascinating.

[Al_Smith]

Two birds the totally amaze be are turkeys and great horned owls .I've yet to figure how birds of that size with their wing spans can fly right through the branches of a tree without colliding with it .

[KEC]

Al Smith, go to Utube and search "Goshawk flies thru small hole" to see a master of flying through the trees. 

[KEC]

Took my 12 year old grandson to the Syracuse, New York airport yesterday to look for Snowy Owl, there have been 2 there lately. Found one right away. We also saw an adult male Northern Harrier and 3 Red-tailed Hawks. Airports are magnets for these bird because of the open nature around the runways and the voles in the grass areas between the runways.

 

[Walnut Beast]

Barred owls 🦉 make some very interesting sounds. They are the ones I hear on the creek bottom at night more than the Great Horned

Some good information and different sounds on the link after you scroll halfway through. 

The pair hootin it up sound is one that I know it's the Barred Owl. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/barred-owl

[Don P]

They hang out down in the shop at the sawmill. I was in there grabbing a leaned up 1x12x12' the other morning and heard something, looked up and saw a barred owl looking back down at me  :D

[Al_Smith]

Birds of prey are a hoot to watch .We've got them from sparrow hawks to bald eagles and probably nearly every kind of owls 
The funniest thing I ever saw was a few years back a juvenile eagle landed on the side of a 3 foot oak trying to get a squirrel .Around and around they went .The squirrel out foxed the eagle that finally gave up the chase .The eagle might be fast in the air but no match for a squirrel in a tree .

[WV Sawmiller]

Al,

 I watched a hunting show several months back where they (I am pretty sure it was Jackie Bushman) were hunting squirrels in Alabama. They had good squirrel dogs and we using air rifles but 2 guys had red tailed hawks. A couple of times the dogs treed and they released the hawk and it would circle the tree and grab the squirrel. One time the squirrel ran in a leaf nest and the hawk just exploded on and leaves went everywhere and the hawk came out with the squirrel. The funniest clip was when the squirrel leaped out of the tree from 20-30 feet in the air and the hawk was right behind it with them running and jumping along the ground. What amazed me was the hawk chased it down and caught the squirrel.

[Al_Smith]

A few years ago a pair of red tails had a nest in a white oak that was about 50 feet from my house .When they would bring in food for the chicks the squirrels . hid under the bottom of the big limbs .
Later on in the year  the three young hawks were like a tag team .Two in the trees and one flying .They were very successful snatching squirrels on the ground .
I always figured if you have predators you have to have prey .If you have prey the eco system must be working . Mother
 nature does a good job of balancing it out if you leave her alone .

[WV Sawmiller]

Al,

   Your young eagle comment reminded me of a fishing trip on our local COE Bluestone Lake. I was easing down the river feeding the lake using my trolling motor and pitching little jig spinners under the overhanging trees for bluegills. As I approached a willow growing in the water an injured duck flew/ran out of it. It could not fly over  foot or so above the lake and was running as much as flying. Suddenly a juvenile eagle swooped down after it and the last I saw the duck flew/ran across the top of the  lake with the eagle a few feet behind. I lost sight of them as they went around a curve in the river and I never saw if the eagle caught it or not. I suspect it did. A mature/experienced eagle would probably have made a steeper, faster attack and caught the duck before it knew it was around. 

   On another trip very near the same site I saw 2 large birds approaching and about 75 yards in front of me I saw a mature eagle crash into an osprey that was carrying a large fish in its claws. The osprey went tumbling in the air and dropped the fish in the shallow water next to the shore. The eagle made a tight circle and reached down and picked up and flew off with the fish. The osprey was following about 10' behind as they flew out of sight. I doubt he attacked the eagle and was more likely hoping it would drop the fish.

[Al_Smith]

My wife RIP saw a mature bald eagle snatch a rabbit behind the house .It came in on a silent glide out of no where snatched it with one leg and flapped about 5 times and it reached the tops of these 100 foot oaks and was gone just like that .
The funniest owl thing was with about a foot of snow on the ground .Great horned owl came crashing through a blue spruce right outside my back window after a squirrel .The squirrel just hopped up about 6 feet above ground in the limbs and scolded the owl ,it knew the bird couldn't get to it .That big bird looked like it had disgusted look on it's face .I nearly fell out of my chair laughing .

[WV Sawmiller]

   I was at Camp LeJeune NC waiting to go to the pistol range and was parked next to a marsh. There was a leafless tree near the parking lot over the marsh and there was a hawk sitting in it. He looked down and nonchalantly hopped off the limb about 20 high and gently floated to the grass below then flew back up with a large rat in his claws.

[Al_Smith]

A larger bird of prey you can watch .A sparrow hawk AKA American Kestrel hits so fast all you see is a puff of feathers that was once a small bird .Hard to spot they are so small and fast as greased lightning .

[KEC]

Kestrels will readily nest in a nest box of the right dimensions put in the right place. Preferably on an exposed pole around 15' (or more) above the ground near grassy fields/hayfields. They will divebomb you if they have young when you get near the box. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I used to see them sitting on power lines and field fences near grassy hayfields and pastures when I was a kid but I have not seen a Sparrow Hawk/Kestrel in many years. I thought they mostly ate grasshoppers and small mice and such.

[Al_Smith]

Sparrow hawks are the most numerous hawks  in North America and also the most  elusive .They are only the size of a blue jay .

[KEC]

Kestrels are still reasonably common here, but in declining numbers due to the area becoming increasingly forested. They are a falcon. Another falcon we now have is Merlin. They were nearly non-existant here for a period of time, but they have made a real comeback. Amoung their attributes is a sweet tooth for European Starlings.

[ppine]

This winter has been tough.  Great horned owls, barn owls, long-eared owls and for the first time a flammulated owl.
I hear them most nights.