Owl ID?

[yellow dog]

Long-eared owl for sure. They are hidden under the feathers.lol

[JUDGE]

I think is a Soweto owl not sure on the spelling

[Angus]

lol, I thought so to initially (too small for barred) Sharon.

Juvenile maybe? When I pull the pics up to try for an eye colour I get a greenish colour??

[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

[alvin123]

I think that it is an saw-whet owl

[Sharon]

I think you may be right.

https://www.google.ca/search?sourcei....0.NtpsFXAAkbA

[Species8472]

I think that it is an saw-whet owl

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.

[JBen]

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.

[JBen]

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

[William Cody]

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.