Great Horned Owl Showing Geographic Variation in Color
Most of the Great Horned Owls I post were photographed in Montana. This one’s from Utah and it demonstrates some interesting geographic variation in color.
Tag: great horned owl
Montana Farm Potpourri
Whenever I visit the northwest Montana farm where I grew up I feel like I’m returning home. It’s been 50 years since I actually lived there but I don’t think that feeling will ever leave me.
Great Horned Owl And A Ghostly Apparition
On a recent post about this Great Horned Owl I said I’d soon explain “the rest of the story” about the bird. This is it.
Juvenile Great Horned Owl On The Farm
The Great Horned Owls on the Montana farm are unusually shy this summer so I only had two brief encounters with them on my recent trip.
Great Horned Owl Bathed In A Fiery Glow
I tried for three days to get some images of one of the Great Horned Owls on the farm. When I finally succeeded something a little weird happened.
Montana Beckons Me Once Again
Today I embark on another Montana camping trip but this one’s going to be a little (a lot!) different in a variety of ways.
A Question of Compatibility Among Owl Species
Sometimes birds behave exactly opposite of how the literature says they’re “supposed” to behave. This is a possible example.
Great Horned Owls In Tamarisk
Tamarisk may be invasive but it can make a nice setting for a Great Horned Owl. Or Two.
Great Horned Owl Eating Its Own Feather
I’ve spent a lot of time over the years watching owls – Great Horned, Burrowing and Short-eared especially and I’ve never seen one eating its own feathers.
Inscrutable Great Horned Owl
Owls are known for their inscrutable look – their mysterious and enigmatic demeanor. This Great Horned Owl and I spent quite a while trying to figure each other out.
Great Horned Owl Chicks On The Farm
Great Horned Owl chicks at this stage are inquisitive, adventuresome, cute and clumsy – all of which makes them wonderful photography subjects.
A Spooky Great Horned Owl For Halloween
This year I decided to make an attempt at getting into the Halloween spirit with this Great Horned Owl image. I think this birds “blown” eye contributes to the effect.
A Wet, Winking Great Horned Owl Fledgling
I love the half-closed, fuzzy eyelid and the ear tufts or “horns” that are just beginning to form on this young owl.
Great Horned Owls In A Hay Barn
I’m curious about the right half of the tail feathers of the fledgling. They appear to be much lighter in color than the rest of the tail and I’m wondering if there isn’t some leucism going on.
Great Horned Owl Framed By Tamarisk
Typically when I find a Great Horned Owl in a natural setting it’s so deeply buried in the tree or foliage that it can barely be seen. This is a deliberate behavior, at least in part to avoid mobbing birds of many species. Crows, for example, will invariably mob an exposed GHO, pursuing it from tree to tree and calling out to other crows to recruit them to join in. 1/800, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This owl, and one other, perched in the tamarisk for about a week but on most days they were virtually impossible to see unless you knew where to look. But on two cold, early mornings I found one of them in this spot where it was exposed to the warming rays of the sun. Its breast and belly feathers are wet, as are the drooping ear tufts. These birds sleep during much of the day but their slumber is light and alert as evidenced by their ear tuft (“horn”) movements in response to any slight sound, even with eyes closed – a behavior that’s interesting to observe if you’re lucky enough to be sufficiently close to a sleeping owl. Ron
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Montana Farm Potpourri
Whenever I visit the northwest Montana farm where I grew up I feel like I’m returning home. It’s been 50 years since I actually lived there but I don’t think that feeling will ever leave me.
Great Horned Owl And A Ghostly Apparition
On a recent post about this Great Horned Owl I said I’d soon explain “the rest of the story” about the bird. This is it.
Juvenile Great Horned Owl On The Farm
The Great Horned Owls on the Montana farm are unusually shy this summer so I only had two brief encounters with them on my recent trip.
Great Horned Owl Bathed In A Fiery Glow
I tried for three days to get some images of one of the Great Horned Owls on the farm. When I finally succeeded something a little weird happened.
Montana Beckons Me Once Again
Today I embark on another Montana camping trip but this one’s going to be a little (a lot!) different in a variety of ways.
A Question of Compatibility Among Owl Species
Sometimes birds behave exactly opposite of how the literature says they’re “supposed” to behave. This is a possible example.
Great Horned Owls In Tamarisk
Tamarisk may be invasive but it can make a nice setting for a Great Horned Owl. Or Two.
Great Horned Owl Eating Its Own Feather
I’ve spent a lot of time over the years watching owls – Great Horned, Burrowing and Short-eared especially and I’ve never seen one eating its own feathers.
Inscrutable Great Horned Owl
Owls are known for their inscrutable look – their mysterious and enigmatic demeanor. This Great Horned Owl and I spent quite a while trying to figure each other out.
Great Horned Owl Chicks On The Farm
Great Horned Owl chicks at this stage are inquisitive, adventuresome, cute and clumsy – all of which makes them wonderful photography subjects.
A Spooky Great Horned Owl For Halloween
This year I decided to make an attempt at getting into the Halloween spirit with this Great Horned Owl image. I think this birds “blown” eye contributes to the effect.
A Wet, Winking Great Horned Owl Fledgling
I love the half-closed, fuzzy eyelid and the ear tufts or “horns” that are just beginning to form on this young owl.
Great Horned Owls In A Hay Barn
I’m curious about the right half of the tail feathers of the fledgling. They appear to be much lighter in color than the rest of the tail and I’m wondering if there isn’t some leucism going on.
Great Horned Owl Framed By Tamarisk
Typically when I find a Great Horned Owl in a natural setting it’s so deeply buried in the tree or foliage that it can barely be seen. This is a deliberate behavior, at least in part to avoid mobbing birds of many species. Crows, for example, will invariably mob an exposed GHO, pursuing it from tree to tree and calling out to other crows to recruit them to join in. 1/800, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This owl, and one other, perched in the tamarisk for about a week but on most days they were virtually impossible to see unless you knew where to look. But on two cold, early mornings I found one of them in this spot where it was exposed to the warming rays of the sun. Its breast and belly feathers are wet, as are the drooping ear tufts. These birds sleep during much of the day but their slumber is light and alert as evidenced by their ear tuft (“horn”) movements in response to any slight sound, even with eyes closed – a behavior that’s interesting to observe if you’re lucky enough to be sufficiently close to a sleeping owl. Ron