From VINS

Recapture Alert! This Northern Saw-whet Owl was encountered by the VINS research team on October 17 at 10 PM. It was quickly discovered that this bird was already banded with band number 1124-47884. Our team recognized the number as one belonging to our friends up at North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier. A quick message confirmed that this bird was in fact one of theirs. The bird was originally banded at North Branch on October 11 at 8:40 PM. The bird weighed 92 grams and was recorded as a Second Year Female. By the time it made its way approximately 45 miles south, she weighed 81 grams.

Recaptures like this illustrate the importance of having multiple stations utilizing the standardized protocol of Project Owlnet. Each recapture provides important migration data and helps to better understand this secretive species.

This bird was handled for the purpose of scientific research under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey and in accordance with all state permitting requirements

From Devin Pitts

Great Horned Owl on a tornado siren this evening in Northeastern South Dakota.

From Sanjay Pandit

From Robert Bateman

I see the spotted owl as a kind of hapless symbol of what we have to do to preserve a huge and very important ecosystem - the North American temperate rain forests. We go around to international congresses, telling others to stop cutting down their rain forests, when we are, in fact, much closer to cutting down the last remaining old-growth rain forests on our own continent.

The spotted owl needs large tracts of unbroken forest to survive. When these tracts are sliced up by logging operations, other predators come in. The spotted owl cannot stand the competition and becomes extinct in that area.

I particularly like the mysterious and nocturnal owl. It is always a surprise to see an owl as it stays within thick cover. also find the shape of its face, with its two eyes pointed forward, very appealing. Along with their secretive habits and appealing demeanor, another thing that appeals to me about owls is that they inhabit our old- growth forests; they are the denizens of the remnants of our sacred spaces.

From Dave Verbyla

A very low-light R7 photo with the RF200-800mm lens. ISO-6400 because this was at dawn. Short-eared Owl. Photo denoised and edited using TOPAZ and ONT Photo Raw. Probably the lowest light photo have ever taken at 1/1000 sec shutter speed.

From Raven Ridge Wildlife Center

A Pennsylvania Game Warden has recently rescued a struggling screech owl found on the ground, entangled in lanternfly tape. We strongly urge everyone to remove this tape from tree trunks. At this critical time of year, such tape threatens our native wildlife that depend on trees as winter approaches.

The damage inflicted on this owl's feathers is severe, necessitating careful grooming and restoration before it can return to the wild. Owls are remarkable silent predators, able to fly just inches from their prey undetected, thanks to their specialized feathers.

Unlike typical birds, which create noise from turbulent airflow over their wings, owls have unique adaptations that minimize sound. The leading edge of an owl's wing is lined with feathers that feature tiny serrations. This design helps break up airflow into smaller, more stable currents, effectively reducing noise.

This modification is most beneficial when the owl's wing is angled steeply, as it often is when closing in on prey. This is just one reason why their delicate feathers need to be in immaculate condition. When damaged, it can take weeks, months, or even a year for an owl to molt the ideal feathers necessary for their survival. Protecting our wildlife begins with responsible practices-let's all do our part by removing lanternfly tape.

Great Horned Owl vs Red Tailed Hawk

From Ali Xiaidi

The mother owl cunningly led the hawk astray from her precious nest, where her tiny owlets had just hatched. Witnessing her swift flight out of the nest, with the hawk in pursuit, was truly mesmerizing. As she landed, the hawk attempted to attack her from behind, only to be captured in a perfectly timed shot. My camera was ready, and I was able to freeze this unexpected moment in time at Savannah's in Florida.

And a reply in the comments had the results of the confrontation:

mom owl went after the hawk after he brushed her. she then returned to the nest and by then the dad owl was there already guarding the nest while mom handled business! Still love them both raptors - epic exp

From Jared McCann

Found this barred owl in a tree watching us drive by.

From Erickson Berja

Sleepless nights in the woods. Eastern Screech Owl yawns as she wakes up behind the sun-burst fall sitting on her enchanted throne.

From Eric D Olick

Closeup of a barred owl with some nice autumn colors.

From Blackland Prairie Raptor Center

Today on Fix 'em Friday: one of the challenges of working with wildlife is that we don't always know the story behind what caused a bird to need rehabilitation. With this Eastern screech owl, we know exactly what happened. Notice the perfect imprint this owl left on the window after striking it. The imprint was caused by feather dust shaking loose from its feathers and onto the glass upon hitting it. Feather dust is created as the feather sheath keratin breaks down, a natural process.

Remember that birds often can't see window glass, instead seeing the reflection of the sky and believing it is a safe place to fly. Preventative deterrence measures include placing stickers, decals, tape or dots on the outside of the window, or marking the window with tempra paint or soap.

This owl is continuing to recover from a concussion and should be released soon!

I'm glad this little one is doing ok now! 😧

From Blake Hess

Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) knows how to blend in! Photo taken in Yellowstone National Park

From Anoop Raghavan Manikkoth

Very special freeze with even more special backlight!

Spotted Owlet shot at a coconut farm

From Karen Gagnon-Fitzgerald

From Nick Levene

Tawny owl at the back of my house. It was fairly dark but held it together at a low shutter speed and very high ISO.

From Ryan Burg

Owls are special in every season but finding them in the fall, surrounded by the changing leaves is extra magical to me. I'm a little early here, this area is still a little behind, but you can start to see the yellows creeping in a bit.

From Namita

Cute yet largest owl of India! Indian Eagle Owl It can grow to a wingspan of about 1.5 meters (approximately 5 feet) and has distinctive ear tufts and striking yellow eyes. This owl is commonly found in various habitats, including forests, scrublands, and urban areas across India.

From Harold Wilion

People are always leaving comments on my Screech owl photos how they are always looking, but can never find one. I don't know what the big deal is. The owls are everywhere just waiting to be found.

l actually checked this hole 30 minutes earlier, and no owl When I heard he was out, it was pretty dark and it seemed like minutes before I could find him again. I was actually looking right at him and didn't even see him because he blended in so well.

The second photo is how he actually appeared through 560mm worth of lens when he already adopted a posture that was easier to see because he was getting ready to fly instead of when he was just sitting back in his hole. And of course, in reality it was so much darker than what appears in the photo.

If you want to get a good idea of this condition, bring up the second photo on your cellphone, hold it at arm's length, and squint so you are blocking out almost all light. There you have it.

So, even knowing where a hole is that may be occupied by an owl, sometimes the timeframe from when it appears to when it flies can be so short, sometimes just minutes, it can make for a tough challenge. Then imagine knowing there is an owl in a certain park, but there are trees with literally hundreds of holes to check and if you're not looking at the correct time, might still miss it.

But all is not lost. There are some Screech owls that can spend all day sleeping in the sun and very exposed. So never give up, never surrender.

1/8 second, f5.6, 5000

From Steve Klett

I went on a trip to BC this Spring in hopes of seeing a Great Gray owl, or two, or three... They were nice enough to oblige. I was seated on the ground watching this one perched up high in a tree, when it suddenly Swooped down and landed on this perch right at the minimum focus distance of my lens. What a ham!

From World Bird Sanctuary

Eastern Screech Owl 24-627 came to our hospital after being struck by a vehicle. They were suffering from severe head and ocular trauma and had sustained a fracture to their left radius. The ocular trauma ended up resulting in one of their eyes developing a temporarily unusual appearance.

The left eye initially had a large amount of interior hemorrhage, which initially presented as a red discoloration. As the blood started to diffuse, the eye turned green as a result of the pigment interaction. The right conditions for an eye to turn green are rarely met, as it is dependent on the location/amount of blood present, the iris color, and other factors. Despite ocular trauma affecting over 1/3 our patients, we only have 1-2/year turn green.

After 2 weeks of care, 627's eye has returned to its normal color, though the trauma is still limiting vision from it. The radius fracture is also healing well so far. It is still too early to tell if 627 will recover enough to be released, and they will need at least another month of care before we can assess if the fracture or vision impairment will affect their ability to survive in the wild.

I feel bad for this little one's situation of course, but in a medical science way, this is very fascinating to see. It is a very beautiful color. I am glad it's starting to get better though!

From Salvatore Perrone

Photo of an Utah Owl in Slovenia

From Kevin Thurk

From Owl Rescue Centre

Seventeen rescues for the day. Hopefully these two cutest little Pearl-spotted owlets are tonight's last though. Now the night shift starts for feeding everyone

Came upon this cute photo of a Tawny Owl in one of the owl spam feeds, so no info or origin or anything.

Captive owls need mental stimulation like anyone else, so they are given objects they are unfamiliar with so they can explore them and interact with them.

RaptorTAG has a Google Doc with tons of enrichment ideas for raptors if you're curious.

From Ramonde Marie

Before watching the GHO RaptorCam this year, I never thought of owls eating snakes, but they seem to really enjoy them.