Corona de Tucson
April 10, 2022
Yesterday afternoon Joe and I were working in the garage. It was around 2:00 when I looked across the street and stopped dead in my tracks. I quietly asked, "Does that look like an owl in the tree across the street?" Joe quickly replied, "Go get your camera."
An hour later, I was still taking pictures. I have had some amazing photo shoots with birds over the past few years, but few compare to this magnificent predator that was only a few yards away. He studied me and I studied him.
He ignored me, but I never turned my back on him.
He thought perhaps...maybe it's a dream and I thougtht perhaps maybe he was right.
A few interesting facts I learned from All About Birds.
When clenched, a Great Horned Owl's strong talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. This deadly grip is used to sever the spine of large prey.
Great Horned Owl's are covered in extremely soft feathers that insulate them against cold winter weather and help them fly very quietly in pursuit of prey.
Great Horned Owl's have large eyes with pupils that open widely in the dark and retinas containing many rod cells for excellent night vision.
Their eyes do not move in their sockets, but they can swivel their heads more than 180 degrees to look in any direction.
The Great Horned does not have horns, but is named for the tufts of feathers that sit on top of its head called plumicorns. Their ears are simple holes in their heads underneath their feathers. They have very good hearing thanks in part to the facial disc feathers that direct sound waves to their ears.
The Great Horned Owl is one of the most common owls in North America and can be found in all states except Hawaii. They do not migrate.
I was surprised to see the picture below when I was editing the 150 + photos I took...that's pretty cool to have a hummingbird and an owl in the same photo !
When we went to take the pups for an afternoon walk about 5:00, he was there again...patiently watching and waiting. I can't go to the kitchen now without spending a few minutes at the window looking for him.
What an amazing happening!! Your photos are great and that was a special photo that had the owl and a hummingbird.
ReplyDeleteThank you Janna…I’ve wanted to photograph these owls for along time. It was a great day!
DeleteGlad the little hummer did not make a meal for your owl! Awesome picture, you could not have planned it any better. Thanks for all the fun facts about the great horned owl. Lucky you that he wants to be neighbors.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeff and you are welcome. I don’t always remember all the cool facts, but find them interesting when I’m writing the post. I sure hope to see him again soon.
DeleteCongratulations Gay! What a great day you had and what great pictures you got. Wasn't he nice to let you do a photo shoot. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue and you are welcome. He was a beauty!
DeleteWhat a spectacular day!! Your photos are just so special. They're beautiful. I can only imagine how hard it was to leave his sight. What a catch with that hummer in the photo! Wahoo!
ReplyDeleteThank you Pam! It was very special…they are magnificent birds!
DeleteHow delightful that he came to you and hung around so long!
ReplyDeleteYES! I haven’t had that much fun with my camera in a long, long time!
Delete