The owl from the back, you can see his tufted ears.
The owl turned its head around over the right shoulder. The Great Horned owl is identified by its dark beak and large size.
Blink contest?
Now over the left shoulder
The owl is capable of a 270 degree turn and I think this would be about the max
After a few seconds of curiosity the owl took flight moving quite quickly. If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can see better detail of this magnificent creature.
The head turn in slideshow format. Notice the legs do not change position.
So the owl out-stared the screaming hawk and provided a rare opportunity to see a Great Horned owl in action.
Wow, Shirley! Magnificent photos of one of my favorite birds. So creepy and mysterious and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt was so special to see this right in the backyard.
DeleteVery cool!!!!!!! Great shots!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kacky.
DeleteGreat shots, especially the movie of it turning its head! I guess they can live here too. I hear an owl in our woods sometime but I'm not sure what it is. I've seen big owls flying at night and assumed they were snowy owls because they look white but the undersides of the wings on your photo look light.
ReplyDeleteGreat Horned owls are common all over North America so it's possible. There are several other owls in the PNW and many owls have white undersides on their wings so the only way to tell is to get a close look.
DeleteGreat slide show and excellent shots! How wonderful that you captured him in flight! We have great horned owls here, too. We don't see them often, either, but sometimes we hear them hooting at night, while sitting atop our chimney. One time we saw a rabbit's foot on the picnic table the next day! (Sorry rabbits, but I'm glad the Owls help keep your numbers in check.)
ReplyDeleteBetween the coyotes, hawks, and owls we have no bunnies and few rodents to disturb our garden.
DeleteThat slides how caught me off guard, moving images generally don't work on the iPad and yet there it was MOVING!
ReplyDeleteAmazing isn't it? The slideshow was combined into a single photo via Picasaweb and uploaded directly to Blogger as a photo instead of a link.
DeleteI love Great Horned Owls! We have a pair that come sit on a utility pole and hoot back and forth to each other. They don't come that often but when they do I run out to watch them. I've never been able to get a good photo of them because it's usually too dark and I don't have a decent lens to capture them. Thanks for posting such a great series of photos, especially the video!
ReplyDeleteWe enjoy having them even though sightings are rare. I'd been trying to get photos of the hawks so had the camera with me.
DeletePretty amazing images of this cool bird. I know we have them here but I've never seen one. Very exciting for you to have them nesting in your tree!
ReplyDelete