Great-horned Owl Fun in 2018

[Trish1974]

Good point! Just the other day I saw a brief scuffle between a red-shouldered and a red-tailed. The red-shouldered has been in the exact same spot since I moved hear 4 years ago. She (or he) will even scream at me when I ride the 4 - wheeler past her tree.
Last year we had a snowy owl take up residence in a corn field about 10 miles from here. Also another possibility. Thanks for the info! You really know your birds.

 

[centrarchid]

About a week ago I saw a juvenile carrying a young rabbit in it's mouth. Last night I could here a juvenile calling in woods South of house. This will make rearing 200 plus chicks free range way fun.

 

[drumstick diva]

all this has been fascinating, I hope my elderly brain can retain most of what I have been reading.

 

[centrarchid]

Real fun is starting. An owl I think is immature is working area around pens. It may have pen actually perching on one of the pens. Kids also bringing in shed flight feathers so adults around as well. From this point on it will be a race to close up pens in the evenings to protect free-ranging immature birds.

 

[centrarchid]

Now confirming presence of at least 2 immature owls working area around pens. They have distinct voices and were calling from a little over 200 feet apart. Adult could be heard hooting in the distance. This going to be a really fun production season.

 

[centrarchid]

I was not certain at first if dealing with GHO, but confident now. Account linked below.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/broody-hen-attacked-in-barn-roosting-above-cages.1254617/

It appears to be one of the juveniles observed earlier in the season. Loss of four chicks and damage to broody hen recorded. One of the pullets in pen attacked on second night had to be removed to another location as she was damaging herself trying to get out of cage the following morning. She was the smallest in the group so was likely the owls target of choice.

 

[centrarchid]

The race is now on each evening before dark to get free-range juveniles penned and locked down before owl comes in. I can see the bugger sitting in dead tree to east of property just watching.

My recently turned 5 year old daughter is helping me police up a brooder reared batch that was released for first time to today and trying to roost very much in the wrong spot. She has no problem crawling under cages to collect each chick. Failure to return to pen is likely do to harassment by owl when chicks in pen. Line of sight between owl and roosting chicks will be blocked. A pullet that was targeted by owl last night chose a very different site in the middle level of the barn work bench. If my rather short stature daughter was not helping I would not have found the pullet.

 

[centrarchid]

@Trish1974 GHO consuming carcass more than 2 days old it did not kill.

GHO coming back early after absence of about 2 nights. I may have to name it since starting to get to know it.

Carcass of bait roughly 1/2 consumed.

Feathers fell down into pen below with broody hen. She saw to feathers falling further out of her pen.

Camera setup to take short videos in hopes of getting sound bite of chickens producing alarm call specific for owls. Covered setup so hens nearest owl will not be able to hear it so as not to be so stressed.

 

[centrarchid]

Just shined owl working on chicken carcass. I home videos show something good. Dogs responded to chicken sounds but only positioned themselves to watch. Chicken alarms very muffled for some reason. There was some cackling when it flew off.

 

[centrarchid]

Owl came back multiple times during coarse of night. Got some good videos although no sound. I am going to call it Bugger. It was begging for eats not more than 100 yards from me as I plied pens in the dark. First visit was as a storm came in. Storm gave us zero rain. Drought now very likely this summer.

Hens relaxed. No owl present.

Hens riled to cover broods. Owl working carcass over cages.

Covers need more work. Also also appears to have eaten my mouse eating American Bullfrog. Owl is immature.