Photo Phriday 70
#7732524
12/02/22 11:18 AM
12/02/22 11:18 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,693 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,693
Idaho, Lemhi County
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I've had occasion to work with and photograph many species of owls. They've always fascinated me. With the exception of the Great Horned Owl, they don't compete with us to a great extent for the critters we raise (chickens in our yards) or the critters we hunt and trap. The Great Horned Owl, however, is certainly known to kill chickens, house cats, mink, marten, muskrats, pheasants, squirrels, quail, and a whole host of other critters. Boreal owl. Vole eater. Great gray owl. Despite its large size, pretty much lives on voles. Great horned owl. The "ultimate predator?" If there's a critter out there under 2 pounds, great horned owls probably kill and eat them. Northern hawk-owl. Mice and voles. Snowy owl. Lemmings and voles. Looking forward to Sharon's contribution. Bedazzle us Sharon! Jack
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Gulo]
#7732656
12/02/22 01:56 PM
12/02/22 01:56 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,189 Oregon
beaverpeeler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,189
Oregon
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Nice pics Gulo!
We have three or four on the farm (Great horned) that like to sing to us. Lately they start in on their hooting around 4-4:30 in the afternoon. My farm partner and I always joke that when the owls start hooting it's time to quit for the day.
My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Gulo]
#7732673
12/02/22 02:43 PM
12/02/22 02:43 PM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,491 Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Sharon
"American Honey"
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"American Honey"
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,491
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
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Wonderful shots, Jack, as always. My favourite owls are the Great Grey and the Pygmy, opposite ends of the size range ! I wish I had more work of them, but so far, this is the one Trapper's Post had me do a while back. I've heard those Great Horned will even go after skunks ! In studying up on them before I did this image, I learned the colour patterns, especially in the face, vary from east to western parts of the range they occupy. Some are more gray, and others bright beautiful chestnut browns.
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Sharon]
#7732690
12/02/22 03:13 PM
12/02/22 03:13 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,719 Maine
Mac
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,719
Maine
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Fantastic pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Mac
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Gulo]
#7732718
12/02/22 03:47 PM
12/02/22 03:47 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 206 Ridgefield, WA
Bearguy
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 206
Ridgefield, WA
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About 20 years ago I went on a fishing/camping trip to British Columbia. We stopped for gas and while stretching our legs noticed a stuffed Great Horned Owl in the station office. Later that day, stopped for lunch at a restaurant and they had a stuffed Great Horned owl on the wall. We saw several others that week, and thought it unusual. The last night on the way home, we camped next to a Canadian couple. I asked about the significance of the mounted owls. The fellow said he couldn't think of any special reason to have one, although his Grandma had one! So, does anyone have an answer for the love of stuffed owls in BC?
All you "Woke" people need to go back to sleep!
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Bearguy]
#7732734
12/02/22 04:20 PM
12/02/22 04:20 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 63,040 Minnesota
330-Trapper
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 63,040
Minnesota
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About 20 years ago I went on a fishing/camping trip to British Columbia. We stopped for gas and while stretching our legs noticed a stuffed Great Horned Owl in the station office. Later that day, stopped for lunch at a restaurant and they had a stuffed Great Horned owl on the wall. We saw several others that week, and thought it unusual. The last night on the way home, we camped next to a Canadian couple. I asked about the significance of the mounted owls. The fellow said he couldn't think of any special reason to have one, although his Grandma had one! So, does anyone have an answer for the love of stuffed owls in BC? I house sat for an elderly man in Richfield,MN. His Sons family there had an old stuffed/ mounted owl. 1970s era
NRA and NTA Life Member www.BackroadsRevised@etsy.com
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: white17]
#7732751
12/02/22 04:38 PM
12/02/22 04:38 PM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,491 Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Sharon
"American Honey"
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"American Honey"
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,491
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
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That snowy owl is beautiful ! I had one hit me from behind while I was walking. It removed my hat and sat on a limb with it for a minute or so before dropping it.
Sharon. your art reminds me of several marten I have skinned that had obvious puncture marks from being grabbed by a bird of some sort. I always wondered why the bird let go. Then I would wonder if the bird grabbed the marten while he was in the trap. No answer of course. Maybe Gulo has some ideas about that I wonder, if the marten fought so energetically, that they either wriggled out of the owls talons, or the owl just dropped them in the scuffle . Another guess to add to the question . Why, even Jack could barely "fly the plane" with one bouncing off the windows !
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Gulo]
#7732776
12/02/22 04:58 PM
12/02/22 04:58 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 23,619 New Hampshire
Nessmuck
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 23,619
New Hampshire
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Jack....what's the folk lore about owls in your yard ?
It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Gulo]
#7732778
12/02/22 05:00 PM
12/02/22 05:00 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,693 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,693
Idaho, Lemhi County
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Dirty D - Excellent story sir! Thanks.
I've got a similar story that you may appreciate. Many years ago (summer 1974), I was working in the Snake River Canyon in west-central Idaho. One of my duties was to collect bats for identification. There were about 10 different species. Some were very difficult to identify, so having dead samples in hand was very important. I did a lot of mist-netting, but relied heavily on a 12-gauge. That was back in the time before white-nose syndrome, and killing bats was not taboo as it is today. I used to shoot over water quite often, as it was easier to find the downed bat. One evening I shot a bat that was downed on the water, and before I could retrieve it, a western screech owl plucked it off the water's surface. I also had smallmouth bass take them periodically.
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Nessmuck]
#7732782
12/02/22 05:06 PM
12/02/22 05:06 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,693 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,693
Idaho, Lemhi County
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Jack....what's the folk lore about owls in your yard ? Nessy - The only thing I've heard is if an owl is hooting from your yard, someone's gonna die. We have Great Horned owls, screech owls, long-eared owls, and pygmy owls calling from our yard multiple times a week, and Yep, sure enough, our weekly newspaper confirms that someone died that week. Jack
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Gulo]
#7732845
12/02/22 06:35 PM
12/02/22 06:35 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,189 Oregon
beaverpeeler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,189
Oregon
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When my folks were PEACE CORPS volunteers near the Haitian border of the Dominican republic they told me that the campesinos around there went out of there way to kill all owls they spotted out of the belief that they were actually Haitian VooDoo practitioners in owl disguise coming around to create mischief.
My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
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Re: Photo Phriday 70
[Re: Gulo]
#7732847
12/02/22 06:38 PM
12/02/22 06:38 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,693 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,693
Idaho, Lemhi County
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Sharon - You mentioned the different shades of great horned owls throughout their wide range. Even individuals can vary quite a bit from the same location, even within the same clutch. I picked up and photographed these two GHOs last winter near my house that were fresh roadkills. There's quite a difference between the two.
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