I always forget how bitty they are!

Interesting art style. Real Saw-whets are much cuter. 😕 Still, I will definitely watch this when it comes out.

https://dia.org/collection/cardinals-leisure-42360

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Omg, I love this owl! ❤️ I don’t think I’ve seen it before.

Very sad. There has to be better ways to control rodent populations that would not harm other wildlife.

Yes, please do. I know this is mostly meant to be a happy place full of awesome owl photos, but sad stories can be compelling too.

Glad to see this Barn Owl made a full recovery. ❤️

She looks so startled! ❤️

This is an excellent shot of the little Screechie!

Great article. I don’t think there is a right choice in this situation. Too many things about the environment have been altered and it is now survival of the fittest.

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Leucistic birds are very interesting. There was a leucistic goldfinch on my feeder a few years ago. They are just kind of washed out looking.

So many cool birds! Sonny is very pretty. He looks so soft!

Can confirm about Red-tailed Hawks being massive. We get one in the yard occasionally, usually eating a squirrel. Which is cool and gross at the same time.

Haha, exactly what I was thinking!

The for real life Hammerbarn!

Poor thing. 9 days is a long time. I don’t even like to spend 15 minutes in those places.

It’s pretty crazy to think they could cut a hole in the tree with a chainsaw and not disturb the owls.

This was a good read. It makes me wonder how much of these documentaries are staged. They often have beautiful cinematography, but probably the animals would be better off without humans in their remote habitats. I suppose they do help bring in conservation dollars, like he said, but at what cost? Perhaps some of the conservation would not be needed if we weren’t traipsing through animals’ homes to make a movie!

Also, that’s a great shot of the Barred Owl at the end of the article! Just the kind of lucky circumstances that makes photography fun.

I’m really enjoying these articles you’ve posted lately. I like cool owl pics, too, but it’s nice to have a bit of discussion beyond “I love that shot!”

I love this shot. ❤️

This was an interesting read. I never really thought about all the considerations that go into building a nest box. How sad that things meant to help owls are basically turning into ovens and killing them. Hopefully the alterations will help.

Yes, the article title is unfortunate. I have changed the post title.

Thanks for breaking this down. I was in a rush when I posted the article this morning. I thought it was a good one and wanted to share.

I like your thought of the owls hybridizing and Spotted Owls living on that way. It’s not ideal, but none of the options are. I just wonder if the hybrids are able to reproduce? I seem to recall hearing that some animal hybrids are sterile, but maybe I’m misremembering.

I also think that since this was set in motion by humans changing owl habitat so long ago (early 1900s!) that we can’t really know all the impacts that the Barred Owls have had on their new homes. You can’t really untangle it. And killing that large of a population is sure to have repercussions on other aspects of the environment than just saving Spotted Owls. We also can’t know if Barred Owls would have expanded their range without human intervention, and if they had then they are just a more successful species than Spotted Owls and it is just survival of the fittest. That is hard to be ok with, but it is how nature works.

Anyway, lots to think about in this article. But also some great pictures.