We had the pleasure of playing host to this beautiful feathered specimen for over three hours this weekend!
This mature Barred Owl (tks Rick for assisting with identification) roosted on a branch of our red pine yesterday, and was quite content to hang out there most of the morning.
If not for the crows harassing this fellow, I wouldn’t have even known it was there. He appeared to be sleeping most of the time but always knew we were watching him; regardless of which door we came out to take photos.
It is fabulous to see these birds around . I know Iggy told me about Great Grey Owl sightings this winter which is reminiscent of 6-7 winters ago when owls were staging in our region.
Well, I’ve never had to pleasure of seeing a Barred Owl before, let along one hanging out less than 75 feet from my house!
Apart from taking a nap, I figure this guy was keeping an eye on squirrels in the neighbour’s property. Either that or was hunting meadow voles or cottontails in the back field.
Hey, who says hunters can’t enjoy the beauty of nature!
Outdoorsguy
Do this poor guy a favour, go buy a couple of live mice and let them go below the tree, he is more than likely starving because of the hard crust on the ground and you might just save him. Stand back and get the camera ready.If you don’t want to let me know where it is and I’ll do it.
I have a Bard owl for this very reason and when Buckstopper saw him and put his hand on the owl’s chest that’s exactly what he said “starved to death”
Well Iggs, that is sad to think…because honestly the squirrels are running rampant around my place too, he could afford to eat some. I’ve heard these large raptors often wont risk taking prey in dense bush, though, for fear of damaging their flight feathers.
I know there are quite a few voles moving around in the back field. Also saw a fox out hunting yesterday am and we walked in the field after to see where foxes had been following the vole trails…trying to dig them up!
Rick, any thoughts on this?
Outdoorsguy
Too bad you could not steer the owl to Barrhaven, I’ve heard they will take the heads of Turkeys when they are
roosting at night. That’s why you use an owl call to locate them. Maple syrup has slowed down. We have boiled just
over 200 gallons and made 23L of syrup.
Nice pictures of a mature Barred Owl Jeff. It is not a Great Gray. Check your bird book.
Just for your info Ruffed Grouse are a preferred prey as are cottontails. Have you seen Bionic Bunny lately?
Hey Rick, you’re serious?
Well, I certainly never claimed to be an owl expert…and I just proved it! Its the size of this guy that made me think he must be a Great Grey.
Must be nearly the size of a Great Horned Owl? Anyhow, he sure was neat looking and I will check the bird book for sure now.
There are still lots of cottontail around and we have grouse as well…not sure he’d be quick enough to catch Bionic Bunny though!
Rick, anything to what Iggy said about them starving for food with a crust on the snow this time of year? I feel so badly for him, I’m trying to convince my daughter to sacrifice her hamster..hehe
Outdoorsguy
The Barred Owl is our only local owl to have dark eyes.
The crust on the snow is not as hard on Barred owls as it is on Great Grays. Barred Owls have a more varied diet whereas Great Grays are almost totally mousers. Great Grays with their incredible hearing will plunge into the snow to catch mice not visible to the naked eye.
Well if that’s a Barred Owl I probably have his brother on my cottage wall, done by none other than Rick Poulin himself. (all legal of course, checked over very carefully by the MNR and a letter supplied by them saying it was all legit) Anybody want any birds done, Rick is a confirmed master
Yup..and since we’re already plugging Canada Goose Taxidermy, there is that amazing Great Grey Owl mount Rick did for the one I found hit by a car in Orleans about 7 years ago. I gave the owl to a buddy of mine who had Rick do his magic on.
Iggs, you must see a resemblance between my owl and the one on your wall?
Do you have any pics of him?
Outdoorsguy
Oh btw, I think imacdon will appreciate the next issue of Bounder magazine..that’s all I’m sayin.
Next Bounder should be out by April 1st…
Outdoorsguy
Do we get a picture of the Great Grey
and I’m waiting for someone to find me a Snowy
Iggy, I’m trying to dig-up that photo you sent me of the Great Grey this winter!
Outdoporsguy
Great photos of this beautiful owl!!
Iggy, that reminds me of a Snowy I saw many years ago. I was 13 at the time and driving (I wasn’t the driver 😉 down on old country road at night, with a light snow falling. I never saw the Owl in front of us, until it spread its wings and flew off passing right over the winshield with his huge wing-spand covering the width of the car. Absolutely amazing… like seeing a ghost.
GPG, I have never seen a Snowy..least not that I know of. You are lucky to have seen that!
I still swear I saw a Barn Owl years ago on my road but my buddy the owl expert claims they are too rare. He had that big white face with a kind of more tapered body..I looked it up in Rick’s bird book at the time, and it had all the features of a Barn Owl..it was still dark out and he was on the road eating..something he had no doubt just caught!
Rick, what are the chances I saw a Barn Owl??
Outdoorsguy
We saw one in the fall at the cottage. What was really amazing was when he flew off the branch. The wing span was incredible.
Those are magnificent photos Outdoors Guy.
Thanks Hunting mom, but Mrs. Outdoors Guy recently bought a new DSLR so really I owe all the credit to a nice camera!
Well, that, and a keen eye for spotting the owl in the first place I suppose…that was all me…hehe
There are impressive HM, you got that right!
Outdoorsguy
The chances of seeing a Barn Owl in Ottawa is very slim. There have been less than 10 confirmed records. They nested once in Arnprior.
I was fortunate enough to see one back in the 1980s in a large Maple tree in Alta Vista.
Barn Owl and Barred Owl are the only dark eyed owls in Eastern Canada.
What you may have seen is a Short-eared Owl. They have pale faces when see in headlights. Barn Owls would appear almost totally white.
Bingo Rick!
I really think now it might have been a short-eared owl..the look and size is very similar, and I see their preferred diet it meadow vole…of which, we have a pile of around our place.
Pretty neat when you start learning more about these special birds..
Outdoorsguy
I once saw a Two Peckered Owl, now that’s rare
Wonderful Pic….of course the Barred Owl is what is eating the Spotted Owl” in the U.S. of A. where the Eco-Facists have effectively LOCKED DOWN about 90% of the entire western forests.
Canadian Author & Investigative Journalist Elizabeth Nickson exposes the ECO-FACISTS in her new book of the same name.
Read it, and start to Push Back…as YES..they are doing the SAME in Canada!
What up with the Parliamentary Petition to Amend the Firearms Act Jeff???
BlueGood, I’m sorry I got onto other things and it totally slipped my mind.
Outdoorsguy
Maple Syrup time is here…imacdon, you ready to get working again?!
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/tradition/maple-syrup-better-late-than-never/
Outdoorsguy
We’ve seen a definite increase in the number of owls and birds of prey in our area including several golden and bald eagles. In fact the bald eagle was recently removed from the species at risk list (not sure whether this is a Provincial or Federal list).
Hey Trapper, that’s a good amount of syrup and the culmination of a pile of work! Do you run the syrup operation from your trapping camp, or is that a different location?
When can we come by for pancakes?
Outdoorsguy
The 4 SAW-WHET OWLS reported yesterday were seen again today in the owl woods, along with several LONG-EAREDS.