From World Bird Sanctuary

Gordon, the barred owl, might love sunbathing even more than Lewis, the bald eagle, from yesterday's post. Barred owls go into full relaxation mode when they sun. They will sit down, go into a full pancake, and tip their head back for maximum sun coverage. Gordon will do this on warm sunny days even on his trainer's glove. It can be a little tricky supporting an owl that is actively laying down on your hand!

From Anthony J Dixon

My last shot of my last visit to see the fledgling Barn Owls on Saturday evening. I'm not sure how many more visits get in before they leave the roost for good, or if indeed get any more in. If this is to be the last image of these beautiful birds, then it feels poignant...

Just as the sun was going down this handsome male who I've become rather attached to, flew straight towards me and over my head with the colours of the days end behind him. Almost felt like goodbye and if that is to be the case, then it was a truly wonderful ending to the story of my summer..

From the Hilton Head Great Horned Owl Cam

Hi Group! The Owls are back! screen shots from Timelapse. Date is on the pictures.

Looking forward to another successful season for these lovely birds!

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17785044

A County Down farmer is celebrating the arrival of four new barn owl chicks after 10 years of conservation work on his land to increase numbers.

There are currently fewer than 30 breeding pairs of barn owls in Northern Ireland.

Ulster Wildlife say this is down to agricultural intensification, habitat loss, a lack of nest sites, and increased use of rat poisons.

David Sandford has provided a home for nearly 20 owlets in the past six years after installing wooden nest boxes on his farm in Strangford.

I think I had an earlier story on this farm, so it's great to see the efforts paying off!

Go check out !nature@feddit.uk and give them an upvote for sharing this story. They look to have a lot that would interest any nature or animal fan outside of the UK as well.

Some interesting posts from the past week:

Volunteers discover rare birds of prey breeding in Cumbria

Plan unveiled to reintroduce White-tailed Eagle to Cumbria

Studland sees record numbers of rare butterfly

Rediscovery of rare bumblebee brings hope to South Kent

How restoring rivers' natural curves can prevent flooding

From Jerry Chinn

My cell phone rang. It was my wife, Tori. "Come downstairs quietly with your camera' she said. She was in her backyard garden, and as approached, she motioned to come over to the fence. Pointing low down to the tree just on the other side of the fence was this owl... probably the same one photographed on the ground the other day. So, there was a great horned owl in a tree, no more than 25 feet away. Amazingly, he just continued to look at us as I fired off several shots. Only when I moved around to try to get a different angled shot did he fly off.

Below are the photos mentioned from the other day.

Photo by Stephen Shpak

Don't let my cuteness fool you!

In this photograph, you can see a charming Saw-Whet Owl perched in a tree it often frequents. The initial reaction might be, "Aw, it's so cute and tiny' and while that is true, it's also important to remember that this tiny creature is a raptor!

These diminutive owls prey on mice, voles, frogs, and other small creatures, seizing them with their sharp talons. As owl season approaches, remember to maintain a respectful distance, remain silent, capture your photograph, and exit the vicinity discreetly.

Always maintain ethics in your photography! It's not worth compromising your principles for a photo. Unethical behavior not only endangers the owl's life but also risks it abandoning the area permanently, potentially depriving you and others of ever seeing it again.

(Disclaimer - Photo taken distantly at 500mm with a 1.6x crop and cropped again in post)

Photos by Bimbo Brllo

The Philippine Eagle Owl

I'm fortunate to be one of the WBPP (Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines) photographers documenting the majestic Philippine Eagle Owl, a true giant among owls, at La Mesa Eco Park in October 2022. I hope to encounter this incredible bird again soon. Happy Anniversary, WBPP!"

From Suffolk Owl Sanctuary

Spectacled owls are the largest rainforest species of owl in South America.

Unfortunately, they are expected to lose around 20% of their rainforest habitat over the next three generations of owls due to unregulated agriculture, deforestation to create palm oil plantations, mining, and over-exploitation of resources.

From Pocono Wildlife Rehab

Some of our new patients. We can't help them without your support.

I'm a bit behind on collecting new posts due to still feeling sick, so the posts today feel a little lackluster. I'm going to try to refill my archives today.

Recently all the rehab groups seem to be pushing extra hard on donations. I try not to push this stuff too hard on you guys, but I'll take a minute to say again, all these animals you love to see on here are saved purely, 100% by public donations and people and vets dedicating their time to a noble cause.

I encourage you all to find a rehabber near you to share something with if you are able. They're the ones that help the animals in your community.

I also want to note something about something you may often see. People will leave bad reviews of rehabs when they feel they are not as helpful as they should be. It is difficult to get established in rehab, due to all the licensing and certification required. It takes years, and there is no money in this business, so it is only people who are doing it for their love of animals. Please be understanding they may not always be able to do what you feel is necessary.

Here is a comment from Pocono Wildlife Rehab from a few days ago explaining:

Our apologies if we don't return EVERY phone call, email or lnstant message regarding an animal update within a week. The animals in our care are our top priority and as previously posted we are very limited on staff. There are several numbers listed on our page to call to get updates. You may also text those numbers. We TRY to get back to everyone but we literally get an average of 50-75 calls A DAY!!

Please try to be more understanding and appreciate that the animals are what comes first.

I'll add a link once I find it again to some databases of rehabbers around the world, so you can find your local rescues. Please keep them in mind this year if you are looking for a place to lend a helping hand or gift.

Photo by Carlos Carmona

This was the last juvenile "Northern Saw Whet" owl that was able to photograph before they migrated. How much I wish could see you again. A successful project executed in a team manner; that I will never forget.

From Middle Tennessee Raptor Center

The adults don't often nap on their tummies like the babies do, so I thought I'd share this one with you all.

I suppose we all like going on little returns to happy things from our childhoods, so I can hardly blame the owl for doing the same.

Photo by Bea Eldon

Barred Owl looking adorable as can be!!

Photo by Kendra Disilva

Photo by Darren Brown

A young northern pygmy owl puffed up, as it was finishing preening its belly feathers

From the Alaska Raptor Center

Meet Qigiq, a Snowy Owl here at the Alaska Raptor Center. Unlike many of their nocturnal counterparts, Snowy Owls are diurnal, embracing the endless Arctic summer days to hunt tirelessly! Did you know Snowy Owls may devour over 1,600 lemmings in a single year?

Went to see what Qigiq meant, and found an older post about him:

Qigiq (pronounced KWIG-ick), a Snowy Owl and Raptor- in-Residence here at the Alaska Raptor Center, belongs to the heaviest owl species here in North America. Thick feathers for insulation from Arctic cold make Snowy Owls North America's heaviest owl, typically weighing around 4 pounds, 1 pound heavier than a Great Horned Owl and twice the weight of a Great Gray Owl (North America's tallest owl).

Photo by Faruk Kizil

Habichtskauz auch Uralkauz

Das Bild entstand an einer Futterstelle beim Falkner in den Niederlande.

Ural owl (Strix uralensis)

The picture was taken at a feeding place of a falconer in Netherlands.

One of the given translations called this Habich's Owl, so I tried to find out who Habich was. Took me way too long to figure out Habich was not a person, it means goshawk in German. The German wiki entry had a lot of info the US one didn't though.

The species is referred to as Slaguggla, or “attacking owl”, in Swedish, Habichtskauz, or “goshawk-owl”, in German or as the “long-tailed owl” in Russian.

Attempts to re-introduce the owl have been partly successful in the German-Austrian-Czech border region (Bavarian Forest , Bohemian Forest , and Šumava), and most recently in the Vienna Woods.

Austria seems to have a difficult time with the project as people keep shooting them. 🙄

From New Mexico Wildlife Center

Last weekend, our hospital admitted an American Barn Owl who had been found on the ground with an injured wing. The rescuer, a falconer, correctly identified the injury as a fractured humerus and transported the owl to NMWC for care. When the owl was admitted to our hospital, our team took x-rays, started the owl on medications, cleaned some lacerations on the wing, and wrapped the fractured wing to keep it stabilized until surgery.

As you might be able to tell from the x-ray we took when the owl arrived, the fracture is an oblique one; that is, the break is at an angle, which means a substantial length of bone is affected. During surgery, the bone was stabilized with metal pins as well as dissolvable sutures to hold the angled bone ends together.

The last photo [the one I used as the title image] in this set was taken just a few days after surgery, and as you can see, American Barn Owl 24-750 is alert and appropriately defensive (spreading their wings and lowering their head is part of how this species says "go away") toward humans! The fracture, as well as the lacerations near the fracture site, are beginning to heal. We are hopeful that this very feisty (and very loud!) patient will continue to make good progress toward getting back out into the wild.

Photo by Happy Snapper

Dusk is a melanistic barn owl, she is the opposite of an albino. This rare gene mutation occurs 1 in 100,000 with none surviving in the wild. Dusk was hatched in a falconry centre in Lincolnshire and now lives at the owl sanctuary at Winterton, Norfolk..

From Owl Rescue Centre

A couple of photos of our 20 000 wildlife rescues that we've done over the last fifteen years. Initially we were just doing it for fun, but looking back now, 20 000 is a big number and one we're pretty proud of. We can't tell you how many thousands of nights we've spent on the road traveling to rescues across the country, never mind the days. Hopefully we have made a positive difference to the conservation status of a few of these guys.

Agreeably, many of them are common species and don't attract the attention of corporates or individuals that would wish to sponsor a wildlife organisation, but we are of the belief that every living creature should be afforded the opportunity to live a full and enjoyable life.

That's something we've had limited success with, attracting sponsors that is, and something we're going to need to mention more often. The last few photos is of us going to potential fundraiser meetings dressed as pirates, air hostesses and rock stars. And that's because we still just do this for fun!

Edit: Just updated all the pics with any info I could find.

It's really amazing so the animals this couple had helped. I've been enjoying their content since I found them. They work very hard, cover a ton of territory, and have a great sense of humor.

They must be at this 24/7, so they must be absolutely ~~living~~ (should have said loving, but they do both appear to be very much alive and well) and dedicated people.

Photo by Gary R. Howard Jr

From Owl Rescue Centre

From Friends of Free Wildlife

On 3 Jun 2024 a beautiful adult spotted eagle owl was brought to FFW by a representative of South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (SAWRC) in Pretoria. This poor owl had been trapped in a barbed-wire fence and was fortunate to have been spotted by a caring member of the public who deftly untangled and removed the owl from the barb and dropped it off at Monument Park Vet. SAWRC were contacted and their wonderful volunteers promptly collected the bird and applied much needed first aid to the multiple lacerations on its wing before moving it to FFW for further care and rehabilitation.

After thorough examination the owl was found to have bruising and swelling of the right elbow and given a course of antibiotics and appropriate wound care. It made a remarkable recovery and was soon moved to a flight cage to ensure it was flight-fit and prepared for release. A second spotty was incidentally already undergoing rehab in a flight cage and the two were introduced and moved in together. They formed a close bond, perching side by side and softly calling in duet. On 21 Jul 2024 it was decided that both owls should be released together since they had established a tight bond, and were collected by the amazing volunteers from (SAWRC). There was much excitement and a number of interested folk from the area came to watch while these two gorgeous owls were successfully released back in the area.

The collaboration between SAWRC and FFW in this story was crucial to ensure the best outcome for these special birds.

Nice video of their release at the link.

Photo by Jeremy Jonkman

I captured this unique wing angle of a barred owl taking off a perch. during my sequence of images he flew right at me and landed on a stump less than 10 feet from me trying to catch a squirrel which it missed by inches. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for any constructive comments. Taken in King County.

On our last excursion we were lucky once again, and found this sleeping beauty. Or lucky, she likes to perch at the entrance, well guarded from the sun.

From New Mexico Wildlife Center

Just how much of an owl's silhouette is created by feathers? Most of it! A recent windy day gave us a peek under the surface of American Barn Owl Ambassador Corazón's feathers. What you see on the top of her head is just the sandy-colored tips of her feathers, all layered together and slightly curved at the end. Underneath, you can see the full length of each feather and the way they create a dense, downy coat with surprising depth! Feathers provide very effective protection against the elements, especially the cold weather that we'll start to see pretty soon. Many birds' feathers also provide waterproofing protection, and the colors and patterns on feathers can be a great way for a bird to either blend in with their surroundings or stand out when they want a potential mate to notice them. For many owls, their unusually soft, velvety feathers also dampen the sounds created by their own body in flight, giving them the ability to fly silently!

Corazón is a medium-sized owl with a wingspan of almost 4 feet, but she's light as a feather (well, many thousands of feathers, technically): she tips the scales at about 1.25 pounds! (567 grams)