Unexpected big hooter sighting

[salmotrutta]

Nope, not this one:

This one:

Anyone know what kind? I got to see it fly away too, thing was massive.

 

[Alfiegee]

Beautiful bird. Not sure what type it is though. I'm always amazed how far they can turn their heads so they are looking directly behind themselves. Nice pics.

Alfie.

 

[[email protected]]

nice find! looks like either a barred or grey owl

 

[salmotrutta]

Beautiful bird.

Alfie.

Indeed, I was amazed to see it, right by the side of the road. I pulled a u-ee, parked, set the flashers on and observed for 5 min or so. When I started up again, it flew off. Passing cars weren't phasing it at all, but since I had stopped and started again it might have gotten spooked. I pissed off a lot of drivers by parking on a narrow and bumpy country road like that without much of a shoulder, but it was worth it.

Their large heads make them seem much more human-like than most birds.

nice find! looks like either a barred or grey owl

I am thinking barred, it looked brownish/orange with white, rather than grey.

 

[Alfiegee]

I love watching " birds of prey." They are so beautiful to watch in action. Owls, Hawks, Eagles, Osprey and Falcons.
Here in Hamilton there is a nest Peregrine Falcons have used for over 15 years on the Sheraton Building, it has a camera on it and they tag the 2 or 3 babies every year and trace them. There is a website you can watch this nest on each spring. I will look for it but anyone feel free to jump in. Madame X the mother gets really pissed when people come out of the building to grab her babies and bring them in for tagging. The taggers of course have to wear helmets and safety lines and other armor. I believe the current male is Serge and has been there a few years. He ain't to happy when the babes are disturbed either.
I love to go just sit across the road every May or June when the young are fledging and watch. I'm talking about down-town and thousands are walking by, but don't even look up as I watch the babies playing and learning.
I got an iphone now, I will post pics this spring.

Alfie.

 

[threeparrots]

nice find! looks like either a barred or grey owl

Barred Owl for sure.

Where was this bird spotted?

 

[salmotrutta]

I've been swooped multiple times by magpies in Australia. Robin's nested at my parents' place, literally right beside the door, and used to swoop by you if you weren't quick in going in and out. After their first babies hatched and flew off, we removed the nest. They built another one on the side of the house.

I've also been attacked by geese, the worst being when I was kayaking in the very early spring on the lake at Laurel Creek conservation area. Didn't want to end up in that frigid water due to an angry goose, so I fended it off with my paddle.

Threeparrots, I will send you a PM.

After seeing the owl that close up, hawks and ospreys just won't do it for me anymore. I saw an eagle a month ago, I was driving down highway 7 somewhere between Kaladar and Perth, near a lake and it flew over. A cool sight to see as I rarely see eagles, but see hawks on an almost daily basis.

 

[Alfiegee]

As promised. The Hamilton Falcon website is falcons.hamiltonnature.org
Madame X was still the mother of last years babes and Surge the proud daddy.
3 babies were born last year. Tiffany, Felker and Beckett.

Alfie.

 

[FishingNoob]

Cool photos Salmo. Never seen a wild owl...

I love watching " birds of prey." They are so beautiful to watch in action. Owls, Hawks, Eagles, Osprey and Falcons.
Here in Hamilton there is a nest Peregrine Falcons have used for over 15 years on the Sheraton Building, it has a camera on it and they tag the 2 or 3 babies every year and trace them. There is a website you can watch this nest on each spring. I will look for it but anyone feel free to jump in. Madame X the mother gets really pissed when people come out of the building to grab her babies and bring them in for tagging. The taggers of course have to wear helmets and safety lines and other armor. I believe the current male is Serge and has been there a few years. He ain't to happy when the babes are disturbed either.
I love to go just sit across the road every May or June when the young are fledging and watch. I'm talking about down-town and thousands are walking by, but don't even look up as I watch the babies playing and learning.
I got an iphone now, I will post pics this spring.

Alfie.

I love watching hawks just circle over a farm field just waiting for a rabbit or a mouse or something. There's a red tail hawk were I fish and one day I heard a splash and there it was with a fish in it's claws. I was shocked because I didn't know that they would eat a fish... I'll post a crappy photo I have of it...

 

[FishingNoob]

As promised. The Hamilton Falcon website is falcons.hamiltonnature.org
Madame X was still the mother of last years babes and Surge the proud daddy.
3 babies were born last year. Tiffany, Felker and Beckett.

Alfie.

Remember heading to this website. Pretty cool.

 

[threeparrots]

You guys should check out the Ontario Birding E-mail list... lots of hawk/owl updates with locations. It's a really good resource.

http://birding.aba.org/maillist/ON

 

[Alfiegee]

Speaking of Owls. When I was growing up in Brampton 40 years ago, my backyard faced a schoolyard and in the winter it would have15 or 20 Snowy Owls standing or flying about all the time. In the spring us kids would find balls of regurgitated fur or feathers with bits of bone when the snow melted. ( Keep in mind this was back in the days when we walked to school in a storm, uphill, with the wind blowing against us both ways everyday. And in one boot at that :lol: ) I'm sure Dad still has some old "instamatics" at home, some probably show Peel Village under 2 or 3 ft of snow. As I grew older there were less and less of these beautiful birds. By my late teens we hardly ever saw any. In my early 20's I worked with 3 guys who rented farmhouses in the Orangeville and Arthur area and up there we would see some.
I have to wonder now, was the disappearance of these birds an early sign of global warming, back in the '70's? We used to go tobogganning every Christmas Day at the golf course on a ft or 2 of snow. I don't remember the last time I saw snow there on Christmas.

Alfie.

 

[chris f]

cool thanks for sharing salmotrutta, last year around kingsville area an owl was hanging around when it should have flown elsewhere. Anyway it got some attention for quite a while from on lookers before leaving, surely that's just the time i thought about getting in the car and heading that way to check it out. Closer around home area never come across one ah someday!

 

[weemalky]

Check out Mountsberg if you're into raptors, cool demo with live birds eating rodents. Them beaks are some sharp. Kids loved it.

 

[concant]

This isnt what I expected at all :cry:



Cool pictures tho

 

[Alfiegee]

This isnt what I expected at all :cry:



Cool pictures tho

You were expecting maybe this?


:lol: :lol: Alfie.

 

[rich_ace_G]

Well the first pic, is an endangered specie at all. Even though everyone hunt them for 'game'. The 2nd pic looks awesome. I've seen hawks and falcons in the wild but not yet a hooter.

 

[jackson]

A barred owl for sure as it has the distinct dark eyes that only this owl has.Had one in my yard in early winter.Jackson-Mississauga

 

[sunny14]

*

 

[Alfiegee]

Yumpin Yesus!! Alfiegee! I thought they were Real Hooter Girls! Than I Opened the Picture! AARRGGHHHH!! Holy Poop!!

Actually I was Expecting As Below!

A REAL Gooter Hirl!!

Sorry, couldn't help myself. It's my "Dry sense of Humor," as my friends say.

Alfie.