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Hey guys ! Can any of you identify what type of owl ( I think it's an owl ) this is? He was sitting on a part bale of hay when I went to feed cattle.
Was kind of concerned that he let the tractor get so close but he flew away when I got a little closer.
No sign of a mouse or anything where he was sitting ! lol
Thanks.
Attachment 28676
I'd go with the Eastern Screech Owl - no bigger than a starling.
Was just reading about one this week.
http://eedition.thelondoner.ca/doc/T...2015021601/#12
Barred Owl.
can't give you the same angle, perspective for sizing etc. but close and look at the patterning as well as the black eyes
http://jbenphotography.ca/img/s2/v58/p1227395880-4.jpg
http://jbenphotography.ca/img/s1/v19/p316995705-4.jpg
http://jbenphotography.ca/img/s2/v58/p1227395880-4.jpg
http://jbenphotography.ca/img/s1/v20/p400768129-4.jpg
http://jbenphotography.ca/img/s8/v80/p1387125280-4.jpg
[img]http://jbenphotography.ca/img/s1/v22/p105890077-4.jpg[/img]
They are also quite tolerant, possibly the most tolerant after Saw Whets of humans, allowing you to get close.
I think he's too small for a barred owl Mr. Ben but I haven't had enough coffee to argue about it.:)
Ever hear this -'Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all'?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fppKGJD3Y6c
lol, I thought so to initially (too small for barred) Sharon.
Patterning on Eastern screechs is very different though and they have yellow eyes
http://www.bing.com/search?q=Eastern...conversationid=
Thanks for all the responses so far everyone ! So I go back out 3/4 hour later and it is in the exact same spot and lets me walk within 6 feet of it before it flies away. I kick the hay around and can't see what the attraction is??
I have never heard that call around here before Wahoo, doesn't mean that isn't what it is.
Here's a pic that shows a little more of it's face.
Attachment 28677
I'm going with short-eared owl don't think in either pic the eye color would be there but I see a mask so to speak
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodbender
Short-eared owl for sure.
Long-eared owl for sure. They are hidden under the feathers.lol
I think is a Soweto owl not sure on the spelling
Juvenile maybe? When I pull the pics up to try for an eye colour I get a greenish colour??Quote:
Originally Posted by JBen
The green could just be a light thing angus.
The yellow eyes should pop, (stand out) with the pics presented. Not saying there is no yellow, just that Id expect to see it. Thats "biggish". If the eyes aren't yellow...
Do see what Kev is saying about the mask but you can get that to in barred. Then to, Short ears are nocturnal and are notorious for usually only being seen at dusk, just before sunset. Where as, Barred while not Diurnal either are commonly seen during the day. If its hunting during daylight, which Id guess it is, percentages would say, not likely SE as compared to the Barred..There are always exception but if one was to play the percentages based on it being out during the day..
Id say keep an eye on it for the next few days and try to get more pics. A good pic with eyes will help a lot. or at least eliminate Barreds. Chances are its hanging around hunting voles in the field and won't be leaving anytime soon
I think that it is an saw-whet owl
I think you may be right.
https://www.google.ca/search?sourcei....0.NtpsFXAAkbA
Size looks to be about right. If you use the tractor tracks for scale that guy looks to be about 6-8 inches tall - too small (as Sharon said) for a barred.Quote:
Originally Posted by alvin123
When I first saw it I thought Saw Whet t they are really tiny. And Barred and Saw Whets are probably the only two species that would let a human get that close. Angus I don't think you tried to "size" it.
Would you say it looked like a Furby (children's toy)?
The main question for a Saw Whet, is that they are rarely out in the open like that. When it comes to the food chain they are the bottom for all owls/hawks. And if any other owl around and sees it, its getting eaten. So they are virtually always buried deep in the branches of a tree and the thicker the better.
http://jbenphotography.ca/img/s1/v20/p478501930-3.jpg
http://jbenphotography.ca/img/s1/v22/p274617414-4.jpg
One other possibility based on its apparent size.
It looks to be a little too big for a Saw Whet, but a little too small for a Barred.
Is a Northern Hawk Owl (also known as the Northern Pygmy Owl). They will let humans get "fairly" close. Don't have my pictures of one online, but I have gotten within 20-30 feet. And with respect to size NHOs are smaller than Barreds, larger than SWs. They are pretty uncommon to rare to parts of Ont and not often seen. Bascially the further south you are, the rarer it is. Will be seen around Ottawa a little, as far south as Lake O, GTA….Rare.
Angus if it is a NHO (patterning/coloration looks a little off)..they might hang around for a few weeks. But they are one of the few truly diurnal species (active by day) and not Crepuscular (active in low light such as SEOs and Barreds)
STOP POSTING. No Seriously….STOP. For your own good,
If word gets out theres a NHO hanging around somewhere in S. Ont and it can be seen from roads or closely.You will get a zoo of bird watchers and photographers and probably even Trespassing photogs.
https://www.google.ca/#q=Northern+Hawk+Owl
First off SawWet owls are tiny tiny owls. Easily fit in the palm of your hand. In a picture like posted it is so small it would be hard to tell there was a bird in the picture at all never mind what kind of bird. Barred owl habitat is Forest, preferably mature forest. In years and years of bird watching I have never heard or seen one that wasn't in some kind of wooded area.
Short-eared owls are around that size, right colour, habitat is open grasslands, which is perfect They will find a tuft of grass to hide in and sleep the day away. On real cold days they will find semi open areas where they can still feel hidden and yet sun themselves to stay warm. Which is what I assume this bird is doing. Like almost all owls if they feel hidden and safe they will stay put until they feel they have to move. They don't like to move during the day as once they are discovered they can be tormented nonstop by lots of other animals, especially crows. They eyes probably won't show up well in the picture because during the day they would probably be open only the tiniest little bit to the point they would look closed even up close. If you find a field that hold short-eared owls right at dusk they will suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere as they leave their hiding places on the ground to fly low over the fields to hunt. I have walked fields during the afternoon and seen nothing only to have a dozen owls flying around at dusk. Everything just fits perfectly for this to be a Short Eared owl. If you posted the location on a photography site I guaranty lots would show up as they are very hard to get pictures of in their natural habitat as they incredibly hard to find. Most picture you will see are after someone has flushed one off the ground up into a tree.
I would put it's size, tip of tailfeathers to top of head at about 8 inches. Wasn't around when I fed cattle this morning.
Thanks for the links, have learned a lot about owls since posting !
Funny sidenote - When I went to the websites I clicked on some of the distress and alarm calls and they drove our cat insane !
Yep what WC said which is why I suggest you be careful where you post it. You could end up with a zoo you don't want. Only thing Id "differ" on is more than a zoo of Photogs will show up. 6 of one, half dozen another imo..
I have seen Barred's grounded in fields but not often and they don't stay there too long. They will fly back to perch in a tree. NHOs Ive seen in fields, but they to won't stay on the ground long.
So basically playing percentages.
It does look like a barred but would be small
I doubt its a Saw Whet. Ive never seen or heard of one out in the open like that. They bury themselves in cover for good reason and it seems a bit big.
NHO "maybe" but it seems off, would seem to be the right size.
SEO maybe/good bet..Im surprised its letting you get that close
Just on the eyes WC, its really hard to tell plus the lights a factor but the first image it does "appear" they are open and thats where I "wonder"/Question. Most owls you can pick the see the yellow, and barred just simply have those deep black orbs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JBen
I don't think its a Hawk Owl as they have a very distinctive shape, different than all the other owls and can be picked out from a fair distance because of that. Its really hard to tell if the eyes are open or not but the bill on a Barred owl should be a fairly bright yellow and stand out for sure while the bill on a Short-eared is black and would blend in well as it does in the photo.
Link FOR A Northern Hawk Owl;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_hawk-owl
Short ear for sure. No doubt about it. My best buddy has one on his wall, and thats exactly what you have there. Ive never seen one in the wild. Cool bird!
S.
Been googling a bit and the Short Eared sure is the closest looking one to my visitor. It hasn't been back.
I gather short ears are fairly common?
I did not see where the original poster identified the height of the bird. How tall is it?
Saw whet around 6", Screech around 8", Short eared 10 - 12 inches. Short eared owls are more of a brown color.
The coloring in the picture seems to match a barred owl bang on.
Post #21 Roper. And I may have estimated on the short side by an inch or 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roper
SEOs are common Angus. The problem (right word?) is that they are really hard to find and see during the day. Most commonly you will only see them at dusk as they start to hunt.
For example for the photographers that really want images of one and want to play percentages so they don't drive hours, sit around for hours and go home empty handed. Once a field has been identified where there is 1/some. They will arrive around 3pm, or an hour before sunset, hope for some images at last light, then pack up and go home.
They are not nearly as common as they used to be. A cut and paste from Bird Studies Canada.Quote:
I gather short ears are fairly common?
Species of special Concern in Canada. Grasslands are one of the ecosystems that are the most at risk, and grassland bird populations have shown greater and more wide-spread declines than any other group of North American birds. Christmas Bird Count data shows a 3% annual decrease in the North American Short-eared Owl population, with the Canadian population suffering nearly a 25% decrease in the last decade alone.Short-eared Owls nest, rest, and feed in open areas such as fallow fields, hay fields, grasslands, airports, and meadows. Loss and degradation of these habitats are thought to be the major threat to Short-eared Owls.
I wonder if that is why it chose this clump of hay to stand in, and returned to it, thinking it was cover?Quote:
JBen SEOs are common Angus. The problem (right word?) is that they are really hard to find and see during the day. Most commonly you will only see them at dusk as they start to hunt.
Lots of that type of habitat around here, but there also seems to always be large hawks flying around. Would the hawks compete with the owls or feed on them?Quote:
Originally Posted by William Cody
"I wonder if that is why it chose this clump of hay to stand in, and returned to it, thinking it was cover?" quote Angus
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I think this continued -20+ weather in Southern Ont has to change some normal behaviours of birds and other animals. Makes identification of behaviour etc. skewed.
This was posted on the weather network.today . the guy who took the picture said he pet it and it never opened it's eyes.
http://rstorage.filemobile.com/storage/21782352/1085
Very Cool ! ( Pun intended ! ) Backs up what Sharon was saying about a possible change in behaviour?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hunter John
I'm finding dead sparrows here and there on my property ; never seen that before ............. and we feed the birds and rabbits.
In tacked they froze or flew into a window, ripped apart cat or Raptor got them where is the closest water source for them to get a drink??Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharon
No cats around here and we maintain a heated bird bath, but I hear what you are saying. Just too many of them dead though.
I never though of that, there was a cattle trough about 15 yards away from where the owl was sitting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodbender
The same one I had to thaw freakin twice today !!!! lol