Great-horned Owl Fun in 2015

[centrarchid]

One juvenile can be heard calling to the south but it is nearly 1/4 mile away. They will come in at some point. Pens in field are hardened against owls. Pens in actual yard are not so well protected since I moved them today to compensate for naughty dog issues. Dogs out right now barking at something that is likely to be owl.

 

[centrarchid]

juvenile activity very heavy in predawn hours. I can hear juvenile owls at any point in the house so they are close.

 

[centrarchid]

Owls are getting rude. They are molting all over the place. Below roosts they use every night I can find more owl down than chicken down feathers. They are also crapping on my beehives. Targets are still mostly the voles.

 

[centrarchid]

This evening I have already tried and failed to make a video of GHO eating a chicken carcass. Carcass in place just before dark and I walked to far side of yard to put birds up for night. While I did that dogs went bonkers nears set carcass. By the time I got there the owl had removed the carcass head and drug the balance about 15 feet from where camera was to be set up. Camera now in place and carcass literally staked into the camera's field of view. As I sit here watching the area where GHO expected to go the bugger has started working around pens where I was at during first visit.

 

[CLSranch]

It is a federal offense to just BLANTENLY kill an own for no reason. But it is fully legal to have someone who is good with a .22 to make them not bother your chickens anymore. FYI below the neck will just make them fly off and come back. I feed mine an hour before dark so they go in to roost so I don't have to worry about them. After eating they don't go as far away. Then I shut the door.

 

[Blooie]

Gosh! I've been following this wondering if the owl (s) I have maybe aren't as smart as yours. Early last winter I just walked up to this juvenile in my yard and started snapping. He had a bruised, but not broken, wing so he could have flown off whenever he wanted, but he seemed to be as intent on studying me as I was on snapping him. When he finally figured out I wasn't edible, he took off.

 

[centrarchid]

I got beat again. GHO stole carcass after camera maxed out memory. It is not that owls smart (more than one for certain as I see them almost every night, they just beat by timing.

 

[centrarchid]

Owl came in doing recon a good 30 minutes before dark. Chickens came down of roost in response, Free-range game hen with nearly juvenile chicks went up to back of house and called young up under her skirt. Owl was perched in Black Willows but chickens and I could see it just fine. It likely chose that location to avoid any hawks that might still be active. I walked back to flush owl off until I had camera setup. A bird is properly tied down this time to keep owl in view. Slight problem is battery needs charging so I am sitting out in yard posting until battery charged.

Carcasses from todays loss to dogs. Not happy about that. Only bright spot is it left me with more carcasses to work and an opportunity to observe fly strike.

 

[cynthechick]

We had this guy a few weeks ago perched on my neighbor's roof.

 

[centrarchid]

Finally got two on video. I can hear bones being broken during feeding. Chickens did not respond even with owl no more than 15 feet away. That is atypical.