skip to main content

Neighborhood owl

7 years ago

We have great horned owls in our neighborhood. Last week one was napping in our back yard all afternoon - or at least trying to nap. A small flock of crows did their best to drive off the owl, who snapped at them when they dive-bombed too close, but mostly the owl ignored the crows. Who needs TV, when you have bird drama out the window?

Featured Answer

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱

7 years ago

Very nice to see and hear, aren't they? Thanks for the pic.

Your pic looks like mine taken one fall day...minus the crow.

They should start nesting in about a month or so around here.

tj

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
7 years ago
Wow! You are so lucky!
AnnKH thanked popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
Related Discussions
Crawling-chewing-flying-biting things everywhere!
Q
Comments (2)
Merryheart, We only had about a half-inch of rain in the gauge when I emptied it yesterday. Today it already has almost that much in it again. It has been raining but the sky is lightening up to the east, so maybe we will have some sunshine in a while. There are so many bugs around right now that my guineas are working themselves into a stage of exhaustion. When they get tired of chasing and eating bugs they put themselves in their house or pen and I close the door. Before the bugs were so abundant, they would stay out until dark, searching, searching, searching. Now they are usually back in their pen or house by 2 or 3 p.m., and sometimes even earlier. The chickens, on the other hand, will stay out until the coyotes start howling around sunset. Consider yourself patted on the back for waiting out the rose problems without resorting to pesticides. Pat, pat, pat. Vickie, Isn't the humidity awful lately? For us, it has been quite a while since we have had to deal with much humidity. During the drought of the last couple of years we had extremely low humidity, but we are paying for it now. Dawn
...See More
Cats missing...Hawk? or Owl?
Q
Comments (15)
Of course cats that live inside have longer life expectancies. Though it could probably be debated whether cats that are kept indoors without the possibility of regular exercise are indeed "healthier." It also seems like it would be obvious that cats (which are predators) would have a detrimental impact on small birds, reptiles, etc. What we know as "house cats" today are not native to anywhere. They have been domesticated and bred to produce certain qualities. They were probably first domesticated in the Middle East (most likely Egypt or Turkey). This fits a larger pattern - this was the site of most animal doemstications as it was the site of the earliest sedentary humans. However, cats did not come to North America from the Middle East, they came with the first waves of settlers and sailors from Europe (as the link you provided states). To speculate on the question of the original post, I would think that it would be most likely to assume that the cats disappeared from other factors rather than to make the leap that they were taken by raptors.
...See More
Trying to identify a call - possibly owl.
Q
Comments (7)
Hi popmama........I meant the sound you described. I've never heard a roaring type sound when the male woodcock dives, so you're probably right that you have nighthawks. I'm envious! I don't understand why we don't seem to have them anymore. We do have woodcocks though, who seem to sound a lot like the nighthawks while they're cruising overhead. Even those, though, aren't as common here as earlier. Same goes for bobwhites. I hope it's just a normal variation thing, and not like the "canary in the coal mine". You're so lucky with your nighthawks. What cool birds! (But aren't they all?) :) I did want to ask Donnie.........did you speed up that recording? I've just never heard doves singing that fast.
...See More
She just looks so pitiful. She's all wet. We have a covered deck...
Q
Comments (64)
I occasionally hear an owl but never have seen it in my neighborhood. We're going broke feeding the birds seed and suet. We have a suet hanging on the magnolia tree which the squirrels loved so we bought a caged suet holder and I hung it on a metal tripod. It's a feat but the squirrels found that too and hang on with their toes and eat upside down. Yesterday I heard screaming blue jays and just ignored them thinking they were annoyed at the catbirds in the feeder. Nope, when I went out an enormous hawk was sitting low on a birdbath. He was huge. A few months ago my resident white squirrel built a nest right outside my sunroom. Later she brought two little babies down...one her white twin and the other grey. Sadly I think she was hit by a car but the baby and sibling are still here. I have a love/ hate relationship with owls. I follow cams in the Chesapeake and Hog Island Maine and for years the damn owls have killed all the baby osprey chicks. This last episode was killing for fun not food as the the sweet little fluffy birds were just slaughtered and left there.
...See More
mr1010
7 years ago
how interesting. I'm surprised I haven't seen any owls here on my farm.

My little midget cat has been catching mice and small rats since it's gotten

cold here in Central Florida. She doesn't eat them just captures them.
AnnKH thanked mr1010
catherinet
7 years ago
That's a cool pic Ann. We usually have mostly barred owls around here, but have occasionally had great horned. Once I had a parent and a youngin' talking to each other. That was cool! Unfortunately, the owls haven't been around for about a year. Hopefully they come back. I love them. We do have a lot of crows and I'm always hearing them screaming at the hawks..........maybe they're keeping them away?
AnnKH thanked catherinet
catherinet
7 years ago
Here's a pic I got of a barred owl here. I would sure like to see a lot more of them.
AnnKH thanked catherinet
AnnKH
Original Author
7 years ago
My parents had barred owl near their home - it was delightful to listen to them hooting at each other in the woods! We didn't see them often, but heard them regularly.
catherinet
7 years ago
I love it when a group of barred owls gets really worked up and they sound just like monkeys in the jungle. :)
AnnKH thanked catherinet
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Lovely photos! I have seen them on low Live Oak branches above the chicken pens even in the daytime lol. Our chicken pens are covered but the owls, eagles, hawks etc here still perch in trees above them and look at them. Then the chickens start fussing and I have to go out and check on them. It makes for interesting bird watching, I guess lol.

We also have a type of owl that congregate in trees outside my bedroom window and make a bunch of monkey and dog barking-like sounds a few times a year. I guess they are mating calls but its kinda comical.
AnnKH thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
catherinet
7 years ago
I used to have chickens, and even when they were perfectly safe in their run (netting/fencing overhead), if they saw a big bird flying in the air, they would run like crazy to get into the coop. Good instincts! But when they were older, I don't know if their eyesight started failing or they realized they were pretty safe, but they wouldn't run into the coop anymore when a large bird would fly over. I do miss those chickens though. The last ones lived to about 12.
AnnKH thanked catherinet

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Go Owling in October

By Habitat Network

These stealthy nocturnal hunters fill North American skies with their quiet wings and distinct calls

LIFE 10 Things Night Owls Know to Be True

Love being up while the world slumbers? Prefer a really late bedtime to an early night? These observations on night owl life may ring true

MY HOUZZ My Houzz: An Urban Oasis in a Converted Loft

By Caela McKeever

An unassuming former garage is home to a tranquil gem of a rental in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Creative, Collected Craftsman in Dallas

By Lindsay von Hagel

A couple combines a love of history and travel with a keen eye for consignment in the historic Junius Heights neighborhood

HOME TECH The Inevitable Future of Drones Around Your Home

By Mitchell Parker

As Google joins the push for airborne deliveries, it seems only a matter of time before neighborhoods are buzzing with drones. Is that OK?

EVENTS Houzz Call: Share Your Eclipse Party Photos!

By Becky Harris

Are you in the path of totality? Please post pictures and tell us how you're viewing from your home or neighborhood

MY HOUZZ New Tudor-Inspired Family Home in Chicago

See how a couple worked with their builder to mix traditional and modern elements for a comfortable and chic home

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Twister Damage Sparks a Whole Ranch Remodel

By Sarah Greenman

A Dallas couple transforms their traditional rambler into a bright, family-centered haven after a tornado

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Saving a ‘Brady Bunch’ Staircase in a Midcentury Remodel

By Nora Burba Trulsson

Personal sentiments about the classic TV show convinced this D.C. couple to overhaul this 1968 home

PLANTING IDEAS These Aren’t Your Grandparents’ Junipers

Dislike junipers? Maybe it’s time to discover new varieties and new uses for this garden workhorse

Sponsored

More Discussions

ID OWL IN S.E. MICHIGAN z5b

0