Two hooters

[pantheraba]

So, I was getting ready to cut the grass last weekend. Before I do anything strenuous (treework, pushing the mower up and down the front yard, moving heavy stuff, etc.) I do some yoga stretching exercises.

I was in the driveway in front of my house and while in this position (not in these clothes, though) and looking up past the end of the stick

 

[pantheraba]

And I saw a hooter....

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Looks the hooter saw you too.. HAHA

 

[pantheraba]

another shot....

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I think the hooter wants your stick

 

[pantheraba]

While I was taking the pictures I suddenly realized there were TWO owls up there. The second one flew up unnoticed at first by me. As the sun got lower it illuminated the second owl which made for some good pictures. They stayed on the limbs, about 40 feet up for at least 30 minutes while I cut the grass and used the blower to clean the driveway.

 

[pantheraba]

Hahha...yeah, the hooter saw me, too...I think it was a male in the sunlight...he left and the female hung around. She kept watching..I finally laid down on the driveway and she would lean over and watch me.

It was a pretty neat experience...I'd never seen owls up close like that.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

That's really cool Gary .... Had to josh you a bit though
Maybe they will nest and keep you company for your enjoyment.

 

[pantheraba]

Joshin' keeps it fun....no problemo. Hayden, my 3 yr old grandson, and I love to listen to them. They hang around this area. I am going to look into putting up some owl boxes to encourage nesting.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

That would be a good idea. I really need to get some boxes up here too. That and some Bat boxes too.

 

[No_Bivy]

have you figured out where they are nesting?

 

[pantheraba]

No, not sure how to find the nesting site. I saw one owl that same night fly out of the light circle of the streetlight at the corner of my front yard and towards my backyard..it was coming up off the ground, makes me wonder if it had been trying to catch prey. I only saw it less than a second and it reminded me more of a hawk...but this was about 10 at night and I cannot imagine hawks would be out then.

 

[Tree Reb]

Have you got any mice around there?

They just seem to turn up out of nowhere if there's any around here.

 

[vharrison]

Very cool!

 

[Mr. Sir]

That's cool. We've got a few around the neighborhood that I spot occassionally. I'm always on the lookout for hooters!

 

[mryb]

Does your wife know you saw those 2 hooters or did you keep it to youself & your grandson?

 

[DMc]

Gary, That's pretty cool. Looks like a Barred owl. They should be common in your area. They are somewhat rare in our neck of the woods and in one of the places we work, there is a bird bander (this guy actually bands hummingbirds) who spotted one (Barred owl) in one of the Norway spruce trees this last winter. Got pretty excited.

Dave

 

[rumination]

Very cool pictures Gary and DMc. Owls are incredible birds. Keep your eyes on the ground for piles of owl pellets or crushed up tiny bones. Sometimes that's a clue that there's an owl nest directly above.

 

[No_Bivy]

Owls arent great nest builders....look for a hollow tree.

 

[pantheraba]

Does your wife know you saw those 2 hooters or did you keep it to youself & your grandson?

Hahaha...she came outside and watched them, too...so, I guess we are a hooter sharing family...that sounds strange...:what:

DMc, I agree, looks to be a Barred. Good picture you have there.

Leon, great tip...I'll be on the lookout for owl pellets. There is a tract of about 20 acres woods behind my son's house with a lot of habitat trees...I'll check there. There has always been a large buzzard population roosting back there...I'll look for owl sign, too.

TreeReb...we have mice, flying squirrels and rabbits for night creatures...lots of squirrels during the day. As it got dusky the owl got very attentive to birds that were chirping nearby...she would "alert" to each one. I suspect she may have had some robin stew for dinner that night.

 

[stehansen]

I have an owl nest box in my walnut orchard.

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[pantheraba]

I have an owl nest box in my walnut orchard.

That has to be fun to watch...I love how they move..dip, circle. Good video.

 

[Che]

Owls, and Bob Whites.....hear 'em all the time around here, but I NEVER get to see them.

Lucky you, Gary!!

 

[pantheraba]

Owls, and Bob Whites.....hear 'em all the time around here, but I NEVER get to see them.

Lucky you, Gary!!

Che, that is what I find so unique...unless I had happened to look up into that tree, right beside the driveway, I would not have seen the owl. I think they are often around and I just have not known it. I look more often for them now.

 

[stig]

I set an Owl nesting box up in a poplar next to my driveway last month.
This morningat work I got an sms from my wife, that the owl was checking it out.
Later in the day both the kestrel and sparrowhawk were going into it too, to check out the facilities.
Be interesting to see, which one of them move in.
My wife and I are both avid birders, so we have all kind of nesting boxes on our land, and most of them are occupied, too.
Last year we had a kestrel family in the hawk-box. It was really fun to watch when the youngsters were learning to fly.