Showing posts with label Barn Owl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barn Owl. Show all posts
Monday, December 5, 2022
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Barn Owl
An uncommon raptor that nests in old barns, caves, or occasionally dense trees and other abandoned structures, this night owl usually roosts during daylight hours. Flying on silent wings, the solitary hunter glides over marshes, brushy areas, agricultural lands, and open grasslands of Oklahoma.
Generally heard only at night, the dark-eyed wonder tends to hiss and screech. A ghostly appearing and silent bird, the ghost owl hunts for mice and voles and they are able to see very little movement in the night. Since they can see in the ultraviolet spectrum, they easily observe the urine trail of rodents, which they are able to easily locate.
White owls swallow their mice, voles, or rats whole, then they cough up pellets twice a day. One can earn a great deal from these pellets, especially ecosystems, which is another topic altogether.
Barn Owl
Osage County, OK 2016
Surprisingly, the females are showier than males, making this raptor a dimorphic species. A top quality female will be more reddish- and more heavily spotted on the breast. This may have something to do with the fact that they are less susceptible to parasitic flies and other disease. This quality appears to keep the male more attentive to the nest and it inhabitants when the young hatch.
Sweet heart owls become mature for nesting in their first year, so if there is an owl in your area and there is increased screeching, chances are good that breeding activity is in order.
Nest boxes can attract a breeding pair of these unusual owls, since they do not build their own nests.
This is a valuable resource for building nest boxes if you live in the right location or have access to one. You could even donate a box to a bird rescue organization or a national wildlife refuge. Loss of habitat always has a negative effect on birds.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Greater Prairie Chickens and a Barn Owl, Oh, My!
White-throated Sparrow
Great Blue Heron
Red-winged Blackbird
Greater Prairie Chickens
Barn Owl
This set of photos encompasses three days, and covers material in two counties.
The White-throated Sparrow, the spring variant, was taken on March 5 in the late afternoon.
Great Blue Heron and the Red-winged Blackbird were done on March 1st, a day with 20 mph
wind gusts.
Lastly, the final two were made in Osage County on March 5. The Greater Prairie Chickens, the
first of the last two photos, was done shortly after sunrise. The high count of these birds was
eighteen and most of them were observed flying into the leks. The males were displaying for the females and were a great distance away on the sun side, to make matters even worse. I had one
shot come out relatively decently, and here it is, with a male displaying his tail feathers for the female, who is behind him.
About a half hour after we left Shidler, this beautiful Barn Owl was located on this creek bank.
Just prior to this sighting, we had investigated an old, abandoned barn, in hopes that a wonderful
bird like this would be found. As you can see, wishes DO come true.
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