I'm pretty sure this is a northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus), but I can't be sure. I saw one myself a couple of years back, right after sundown. It was a tiny little creature with an enchantingly pretty face. Here's a video of a bird that, according to the uploader's blurb, flew into a glass door:
While a very cute little beastie, I always cringe when people express a desire to own a wild animal like this as a pet. There are plenty of domesticated animals that need homes, and the wild animal trade is harmful to threatened species. It's a rare treat to see an animal like this in the wild, holding one captive seems like cheating.
Very nice! I never see owls in the wild.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I think you are right about that spider.
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Neat! I was thinking earlier today about things I could do to make the yard attractive to smaller owls.
ReplyDeleteI occasionally see horned owls as they start the evening rat reduction patrol. In early spring another owl (I think the barred) regularly scares the everlivin' out of me because the beginning of its alarm call sounds exactly like a woman screaming.
Very nice! I never see owls in the wild.
ReplyDeleteThe best time to find them is in the winter during the day, though they look kinda like hornets' nests when they are huddled asleep. Another thing to look for is the pellets that they regurgitate with the indigestible bones and fur of their prey.
Neat! I was thinking earlier today about things I could do to make the yard attractive to smaller owls.
That owl page has some good advice about nesting boxes. One of these days, I'm going to build a wood duck nesting box for the property, though we had a pair of wood ducks raise a brood in one of the more remote areas of the site.
The site also has good audio clips- I spend a lot of time outside at night on the job, and there are several nocturnal bird calls I'm trying to identify.