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    Do you like owls? Do you have knowledge of different owls?

    About two years ago I asked my brother to build me some bird houses for my backyard. I got some patterns off the internet for different breeds of birds. While surfing, I saw a pattern for an owl box. I love owls but didn't think I could get one to use a box in my backyard. I asked my brother to build one anyway, which he did. Well just under 2 years later, I have an owl! :D


    Gray Phase Screech Owl (Eastern Screech Owl, gray phase meaning coloring)


    This owl is pretty docile and doesn't fly away when I get close to it. While I was taking pictures of him, he came out on the perch to see what I was doing, unfortunately that picture came out extremely blurry. The my dog ran up and scared him so I couldn't get another picture. I'm just wondering if anyone here knows owls and can verify if this is a saw-whet owl (I know it's not the best of pictures). He is very small and looks to be just 8" in length.


    alt text

    +6  Views: 3514 Answers: 11 Posted: 13 years ago
    Tags: bird owl wildlife
    Colleen

    Moderator
    THIS QUESTION WAS ASKED BACK WHEN WE HAD A DIFFERENT FORUM. THIS FORUM DOES NOT SUPPORT PHOTOS SO ALL PICTURES OF THE OWLS HAVE VANISHED. APOLOGIES TO THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE WANTED TO SEE THEM.
    Volcane

    I'd love to see the picture of this owl. This sounds so exciting, I love birds and especially owls
    Colleen

    Moderator
    There use to be pictures Volcane. This new website does not support pictures so they got removed : (

    11 Answers

    Close up of what I think is the female as she is smaller than the first one.


    alt text

    doublehelix

    wow colleen where do you live?

    Update....I sent this last picture to my mother and she looked in her bird book and I believe she has found exactly what type of owl he is. I agree with her that this is a Gray Phase Screech Owl. They are small owls like this one is. Great horned owls grow to be 18-25 inches in length. I'm pretty certain this owl is full grown and only about 8" in length.


    Picture of a Gray Phase Screech Owl from the internet:


    http://farm1.static.flickr.com/119/305955664_b7bc488e30.jpg

    Yes! I was able to get this shot this morning. I can see now he has, the "tufted ears". Checking owls of Northeastern USA, it appears he might be a young Great Horned Owl.


    alt text

    Just updating because of this new forum

    THIS FORUM DOES NOT SUPPORT PHOTOS SO ALL PICTURES OF THE OWLS HAVE VANISHED. APOLOGIES TO THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE WANTED TO SEE THEM.
    NINJA

    i can still see the owl pics
    Colleen

    Moderator
    YAY!!! They fixed pictures!! Now they just have to tell us how to post them, lol

    @ dwayne..Actually screech owls have a soft call. I think I put in a sound chip on the first page. I looked at photos in google pictures and they look like my two. The male is a redish-brown phase and the female is a gray phase.


    Eastern Screech Owl


    Adult (gray phase) - facial disks dusky white with fine gray-brown mottling, bordered by black. The iris is bright yellow and the bill is gray-green, with tufts of bristly feathers around its base. Overall gray-brown, with gray narrow vertical stripes, bars, and spots on underparts, and barred wings and tail - legs light cinnamon buff, and toes are yellow.


    Adult (red phase) - similar pattern to gray phase except cinnamon instead of gray - face plain light cinnamon - whitish superciliary and loral plumage.
    Juvenile (gray phase) - similar to adults but indistinct stripes and bars more patterned - many feathers tipped with white Juvenile (red phase) - grayish brown, but distinctly rufescent colour overall - bars and stripes less distinct than adults.


    Size: Female average Length:23cm (9.2") Wingspan:56cm (22") Weight:208g (7.3oz)


    Male average Length:21cm (8.2") Wingspan:54 cm (21") Weight:200 g (7oz)


    The top picture is from the internet. The second one is the male in my yard.


    alt text


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    last pic is a great horned owl

    Colleen

    Moderator

    But mine is only about 12" and the male was breeding the female so he is an adult. She has created a nest in the box by pulling her feathers so she's acting like an adult too. The great horned owl gets to be approx. 22" long if I remember right. Also, the sound chip of a screech owl is the sound they make. I heard a sound chip for the great horned owl and that's definitely not the call of my owls.

    Colleen

    Moderator

    I've added a picture of a great horned owl so you can compare.

    dwayne1716

    look at how much more pronounced ton you bird the tuffs of feathers obove the eyes are on you bird big diff.

    dwayne1716

    i was wrong 8 years ago in my quantum physics class i guess im due

    dwayne1716

    time will tell you are there im not the birds just look young

    Just taken. I haven't seen the male for 3 nights. The female is still here though.


    alt text

    Colleen

    Moderator

    I've been as close as a foot away and they just look at me without a care in the world. I almost reached out to see if I could touch this one tonight but then I decided to wait a bit longer to give her some more time to get use to me.

    Colleen

    Moderator

    Thanks Roger. I'm really enjoying having them around and being able to watch them and even talk to them. The male will watch me and listen when i speak, the female ignores me, lol Oh well.

    Colleen

    Moderator

    I live in CT. Amazingly I live in a pretty residential area for all the wildlife I get in my backyard.

    Ms Sinclair

    Cool pictures! How close do they allow you to get before they fly away?

    Roger Willcoe

    Your owl's cool.

    doublehelix

    wow that's an awesome photo, i LOVE those eyes, so fierce and fired up. where do you live, where i live owls are the last birds to be reached.

    He's not looking too pleased about having to sit in the rain and hope "supper" ventures out in the wet weather.


    alt text

    Colleen

    Moderator
    This picture is like a where's waldo picture, lol

    It appears there will be babies. The male was breeding her (he has no shame. Out in the open with me standing right there..it's a male thing, lol) . I also see a couple fine downy type feathers at the entrance of the box which means she's pulled her feathers to make a nest.

    Colleen

    Moderator

    Eastern Screech Owls lay three to four eggs in a clutch.

    IamPamela313

    Congratulations! How many eggs does a owl normally lay?

    The owl has found a mate!! She's in the tree behind him. She's smaller than he is.


    alt text

    no


     

    Colleen, all these pics are great, what you have done is great and I indeed love all animals, except sad to say spiders, insects, and snakes.........


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