Bird of the Week – Great Horned Owl
By far the most common owl in mainland Alaska is the Great Horned Owl. This pretty lady came to visit the WC household when we were hosting Gus, Bird TLC’s Great-horned. Gus was in an outdoor mew, and attracted this girl. It was certainly the most convenient bird photo WC has gotten: from his deck, in his bathrobe, with a cup of coffee at hand. For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.
Bird of the Week – Great Horned Owlet
The owls are branching. They aren’t capable of real flight yet. But they have moved away from the nest, still dependent on their parents for food. Among owls, at least the technical term for this phase of development is “branching.” If you find an owlet in the woods, even on the ground, it isn’t “lost” or “orphaned,” and hasn’t fallen out of its nest. It’s branched. Its parents are nearby. It doesn’t need rescuing. It needs to be left alone. Technical stuff: f9.0, 1/30, ISO800, handheld (the image stabilization on the Canon 1D-X is very good). More bird photos at…
Voices from the Flats – Gus the Stud Muffin
By Wickersham’s Conscience WC’s house is the home to two owls, a Boreal Owl and a Great Grey Owl. They aren’t a huge inconvenience, once you get used to the frozen mice thawing in the refrigerator. But last night for Alaska Bird Observatory’s Owlapalooza, WC and Mrs. WC hosted two visiting owls from Anchorage, Gus the Great Horned Owl and Ghost, a Snowy Owl. Gus went into the deck owl mew. Ghost stayed in a kennel in the house. At about full darkness, Gus started calling. And called all night. About 1:00 AM, Gus started getting a response. In fact,…