Great-horned Owl Fun in 2018

[centrarchid]

Response of chickens to GHO activity.

Decent pictures showing a hen and pullet.

This pullet scared of her own shadow, literally

Two pullets normally roost on top of white box.

With owl coming in they get down into bottom of rabbit cage supporting where they previously roosted up. They do not act in the typical manner when when owl visits. They are all about avoiding detection.

 

[WthrLady]

we switched our game camera to motion activated Arlo cameras that alert to our phones.

Giggling at baby girl with her butterfly net.

Our GHO was on the roof above my bed hooting her brains out last night. She'll eat well tonight as we dealt with many ground squirrels and left them out for her.

 

[Molpet]

we switched our game camera to motion activated Arlo cameras that alert to our phones.

umm would work near the house for me, if the internet was up, but not out where the coops are

 

[WthrLady]

I hear ya. We ran WiFi booster down through the acreage to get to the barns and the coops.

Wasn't saying you should change, just sharing what we did.

Our owl was back again last night. She's fattening up on mice and squirrels. How's your battle going?

 

[centrarchid]

It has been quite last night and so far tonight. Bird I caught the other night I think is a juvenile as fighting was going on even when it was messing around in barn.


I would love the wifi approach and barn may be just in range at 320 yards.

 

[WthrLady]

We have three boosters going. I am enjoying being able to get alerts on motion day or night, and just to peek in. My game cameras were only lasting a few months at a go, and the batteries.....ugh. Lots of money down the drain for us.

 

[centrarchid]

Almost every night between about now and 2300 I can go out and shine an owl walking between a row of pens and some relatively thick frost-killed plants. It is on the ground. Based on eye-shine I thought it was a cat or raccoon except dog did not get overly excited by scent. Fresh snow and game camera allowed me to make positive ID on at least some of the activity as the owl. Something else was setting off the camera much more and I think that is what attracts the owl. Mice. The mice are at least in part House Mice. The mice are so abundant the owl does not need to survey a large area to pick one. Just like it can be in the barn.


The owl will not fly off unless I approach closely or fix light beam on it. The chickens appear to be ignoring it even though they can almost certainly see it, especially when snow is on the ground. It it hard to make sense of all this.

Owl needs to be given a name. It appears to be staying clear of traps in barn but did get close enough to swipe chicken carcass laying about 4' away.

 

[WthrLady]

Oliver

 

[centrarchid]

Damn owl just took a pullet about 15 minutes ago. My fault, sat in front of boobtube watching Vikings. Should have put those young birds up. Lucy, only dog actually on mission, was locked in garage for reasons unknown.

Carcass left in place. Camera re-positioned to record tonight. Tomorrow I will position to record chicken behaviors when owl comes back in over next couple nights to consume carcass.

 

[centrarchid]

Oliver is back. Saw it fly just above ground in barn. Chickens giving alarm call for owl. I want to record sounds bad.