Great-horned Owl Fun in 2018

[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 is again spending a lot of time in barns. No chickens where disturbed around 0200. Mice alone a reason to visit. House mouse population is exploding even in pasture well away from barn. Vegetation in most areas with exception of where elevated pens are located and barn makes hunting them difficult. I can see mice crossing path during when simply walking to pond which gets not supplemental feed. This critter watching is intense!

 

[centrarchid]

Things are getting dicey now. As we were putting last of juveniles up for night one of the GHO's came in. My 5 year old daughter got all excited saying owl is here and it is going get the chickens. She also noted the small bird (Northern Mockingbird) chasing the owl as it flew over our heads. I told her to talk to the owl which she did while armed with her butterfly net. Owl perched within 100 feet of us riling adult birds. Juveniles we were trying to police up quickly hunkered down between pens in barn and in the feed sack pile. Daughter learned a lot. We had to run back to house for her brother and flashlites so we could make certain all birds properly penned. It is likely owls will start coming in earlier each evening now, even more than you would expect with shortening day length. Larger prey getting harder to catch as vegetation getting taller.

We are having fun!

 

[centrarchid]

As of this morning at least half of original carcass consumed. Before all this started pullet weighed almost 4 lbs. It appears the owl tried to move carcass as is is now getting down into weight range that can be carried in flight. Tie down stopped it.

The biggest difference between a hawk and GHO in terms of kill sight is the absence of feathers for the owl's efforts. The hawk would have feathers everywhere.

Tonight I will check beneath owl's roost for pellets where those ingested feathers and bones and chucked back up.

 

[aart]

It has been a long spell with little interest and what did show was negative. The negative has been largely removed but made clear most are not interested in the chickens beyond the chickens themselves.

I think many may be watching but refrain from commenting.

You are not always open to discussion and many do not understand your viewpoint and background, that can make communication difficult and unsatisfactory.
Have been under the impression that you are documenting your observations for your own record and for others to read and learn from them.

It's true that most the audience here are not much interested in science...
....I am tho and hope you continue to post.

 

[centrarchid]

I like those interested in learning. The judgement part is a downer. Another party is trying to do similar with carcasses left out and is pretty quickly taking a hit from the judges. I have dealt with that for a while and gotten defensive making so interest in inputs not obvious.

 

[centrarchid]

I have seen my little buddy only a couple times since last posting. Both times it was in same spot in same oak tree at SE corner of poultry yard. It must have had a rabbit somewhere. I will be going out every little bit to look and listen to get a last observation in for 2018.

New years resolutions will be to: 1) find nest, 2) see if I can get the conservation department to allow me to tag a carcass to see where owl takes them to when too heavy to fly all the way back to nest (it is kind of nasty tying dead things down by running a wire through them), 3) construct a nest in woods they use in 2020.

 

[chickencheeper]

What is your concern then? If you want to get rid of the owl then maybe try putting up one of those plastic ones. Owls provide great pest control though

 

[centrarchid]

The owl(s) does cause trouble once in a while.

See links below. I am racking up some experience with these guys. This year I will be trying to see more of what they are after when not after my chickens but in where I can observe them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/great-horned-owl-fun-in-2017.1180184/#post-18604841

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/great-horned-owl-fun-in-2016.1090039/#post-16735188

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/979818/great-horned-owl-fun-in-2015