Happy Owlidays

[snowyowl]

Gone shopping for a fresh & festive holiday duck.



[I thinking, "Ooo, snowy owl!". Snowy Owl is thinking, "Ooo, red-breasted mergansers!"]

 

[5star]

Nice photos ! Mine never turn out like that

 

[alan73]

good timing on catching the owl take flight.. nice pics

 

[voorhees]

Owls are my favorite predator bird. Beautiful.

 

[mso489]

Love those owls. Had a hoot owl in a nearby creek bed and I loved to hear it. Unfortunately, it didn't nest there long. Had an accomplished birder show me how to call in screech owls using just a whistle and some spit in the back of my throat. He warned, when you hear them getting pretty close, stop doing the calls or you'll get a territorial male dive bombing your face, and that isn't good. A raptor expert pointed out that the great horned owl is so combative, it will evict eagles from their own nests. Owls have talons that somewhat lock closed so they don't drop their prey.

 

[dmcmtk]

Great pictures. The Snowy Owl is a very impressive bird, I remember seeing them occasionally when I lived in Northern Vermont. Where was this one sighted?

 

[snowyowl]

Owls have talons that somewhat lock closed so they don't drop their prey.

Hawks and owls both have this ability to secure what they grab. When banding them, even with a small hawk, you need a second person to help out... as it takes two human hands to release one hawk or owl foot from your hand or arm should that be called for!

I remember seeing them occasionally when I lived in Northern Vermont. Where was this one sighted?

This is already a nice winter for the white ones in VT. My winter raptor survey route has been in the Champlain Valley since the late 80s.

The young owl, above, was imaged on Amherst Island, Ontario.

 

[dmcmtk]

This is already a nice winter for the white ones in VT. My winter raptor survey route has been in the Champlain Valley since the late 80s.

The young owl, above, was imaged on Amherst Island, Ontario.

Cool! I lived in Burlington from 1984-94, worked for years on the Lake Champlain Ferries. The first time I saw a Snowy Owl, hunting at night from a high perch on the old Post Office Building, it stopped me dead in my tracks! It was definitely an adult; a BIG bird!

 

[huntertrw]

Question: What is the owls' favorite Christmas carol?
Answer: Silent Flight

 

[saltedplug]

Question: What is the owls' favorite Christmas carol?
Answer: Silent Flight

I like it!
Last week i lost a lot of hair. People thought I had had a haircut, but that wasn't what happened. Went to bed Thursday night shaggy, woke next morning shorn. I had fallen victim to a hair robbery. Big difference. Lots of that happening in my neighborhood.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Just beautiful. I love owls.

 

[huntertrw]

Jolly Owled St. Nicholas:

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I knew by the thread topic it had to be you snowyowl. Thanks for the great photographs. I've still never seen one, but rumor around town is that there's one around our parts.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Lovely photos. I love birds of prey, and owls of all sorts are especially amazing.

 

[balkisobrains]

Nice pics!

 

[swhipple]

Great pictures snowy owl! I love the image you capture as the owl was taking flight, I love seeing the details of the feathers in the wing.