Hunting...(Just not me)

[Flintknapper]

I know it will get locked, but interesting just the same.



Last thing you want to see if you’re a RedBird/Cardinal! Yikes……….!


Beautiful Great Horned Owl:


Ate this Red-Bird in the corner of an old dog pen….near my shop this morning:

 

[JohnD13]

The owl does what nature intended him to do. The cardinal should have ducked.

 

[exbiologist]

great photos

 

[CoRoMo]

I love owls. I've only ever seen a very few.

 

[sam03]

Great Horns are sweet. The crushing power between there talons is an incredible 500lbs per square inch which is crazy.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Several Great Horned Owls mated and nested behind my house when I lived at the lake. They are VERY noisy breeders!

 

[S&Wfan]

This is breeding season for the big birds, and they get "crazy/territorial" during this time. Sometimes they'll even silently glide down and take a small dog (<10 lbs.) in their efficiently murderous claws . . . and take it off to a territorial tree to eat.

Yep, watch your dogs until May or so!

The are beautiful birds though, and I love to see 'em.

 

[Hanshi]

GH Owls are beautiful birds and your pics does this one justice.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Well that is a rare sight indeed. A Great Horned Owl in the daytime.

I have seen quite a few flying off in the beam of my flashlight as I go out to my deer stand but never a one durning the day.

 

[cottswald]

The owl doesn't care what color he is.

Nice photo catching the contrasting pupil contraction!

 

[Flintknapper]

earlthegoat2 wrote:

Well that is a rare sight indeed. A Great Horned Owl in the daytime.

I have seen quite a few flying off in the beam of my flashlight as I go out to my deer stand but never a one durning the day

I spend a lot of time in the woods and have seen GHO's hunting in the daytime (mostly early morning/late evening). They keep the squirrels around here terrorized.

They're "all business" when it comes to hunting.

 

[Beach Nut]

Owls are probably my favorite birds. I have at least two or three horned
owls in the little stretch of woods behind my house. I like the barn owls
the best of them all, those heart shaped faces are amazing to look at.
I saw one in a pine tree in my front yard when I came home from work
year. I went to get my camera but it was gone when I came back out.

 

[Smoovbiscuit]

S&W fan, any dog less than 10 lbs deserves to be eaten

JK. I just hate little yappy dogs.

 

[joeq]

Awesome pictures. Thanks for posting them.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I have seen all of the GHOs I have ever seen in Michigan. Maybe it is different up there.

 

[Flintknapper]

Hey Earl,

I don't know if there are regional differences or not, I'm certainly no expert when it comes to Raptors.

No doubt... GHO's hunt primarily at night, but I have seen them try to takes squirrels many times during the day (though mostly early and late).

I did find this bit of information on them:

http://www.eraptors.org/rr_greatHorned.htm

“Diet - Prefers rats and mice, but will eat a large variety of prey - mammals from the size of shrews to porcupines, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Primarily semi-nocturnal to nocturnal, but will also hunt in the daytime. Hunts from a high perch, making a short flight to capture prey once it's been detected.”

Anyway, regardless of when they hunt...they are amazing birds and beautiful to look at.

Cheers!

Flint.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Very cool. I hope there are a few around southeast GA. Im no birdwatcher but who doesnt like watching raptors roaming the skies?

 

[dirtykid]

Last winter i was calling for coyote's just at sunset, i was tucked into the low-branches of a pine-tree using distress'd rabbit,and an owl (unknown flavor) came gliding in and sat on branch just a foot away from me and sat there trying to determine what noise was, then silently took flight again after he seen me move a little,, if i hadn't seen the flutter out of the corner of my eye of feathers i would have NEVER have known he was there !! Its take-off/landing was completely silent !! Amazing birds,, awesome pics thx for sharing....

 

[bruzer]

Beautiful pictures.
Mike

 

[Pigspitter]

Great pictures. I've seen a few owls around here in Athens and they're all around middle Ga. It's always crazy to see such a big bird fly by without making a sound.

 

[hso]

I know it will get locked

Yup, but outstanding photos.