Don't bother knockin' if...

In many areas owls are working at creating a new generation.  Owls attempt to time the birth of their offspring to coincide with their peak hunting season when prey are plentiful.  This assists the owlets as they hone their hunting skills and increases the chances that there will be plenty of food for all of the new mouths.

Read more about it here.

Nature's Art

Look at this fantastic piece of owl art!!

This 'wing print',probably from a Barred owl is featured in an article in The Free Press here.

A young Barred owl flew into a window at Keene State College knocking itself silly.  The bird had just grabbed it's breakfast but due to low visibility slammed into the window and fell to the snow below.

Assisted by college do-gooders the owl, now named Woodsy, was rescued from her snowy fate.  Apparently Woodsy suffered the same injury as many an NFL player and was a bit concussed. She's doing well and should be released in the Spring.

BTW, the Keene State College mascot is the Owl. Read the full story here.

You know this winter has gone on for too long when...

it's Thursday night and for your weekend entertainment you are seriously considering:

Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge
Jump into the freezing cold waters of Twin Lakes Recreation area to raise money for the Special Olympics.
Palatine High School VIP Dinner Dance
27th annual dinner and auction event
The Bridge Beats the Winter Blues
Casual night of dinner and friendly but competitive games.


And, yes, even though I love owls, I want to scream,


Owl Prowl
Learn about the special adaptations owls have as silent predators and why they are important members of the wildlife community. Take a hike and try to lure owls out with recorded calls. Event is for adults only.
(Adults only!?!)


From the Palantine Patch:  And you still want more? Click here

But Can a Leopard Change His Spots?

Dateline: Helsinki

According to a report in USA Today, researchers at the University of Helsinki are reporting that the milder winters are causing a shift in the survival rates of two varieties of the Finnish Tawny owl.  Over some 20 odd years of study revealed that the gray variety does better in winter than the brown variety. But with the milder winters of late (less snow) the brown variety is now doing better than the gray.  The guess is that other animals hunting the owls find it harder to spot the gray when there's more snow and they find it harder to spot the brown when there's less snow.

I don't think Chuck Darwin would be surprised in the least.

Eule Goes Hollywood-Mariachi Style

Yet another movie with Owls!  Well, this story isn't exclusively about owls like the Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole  but Rango does have owls!  Recently, some of the stars of Rango (Where's Johnny Depp?) were in Berlin to promote the film.  Opens March 4th in the U.S.A. und am dritten März in Deutschland.


Look for it in a theater near you.



Pic from: The Examiner.com

But Baby, It's Cold Outside

Sure it's a cold and SNOWY winter.  But can Spring be far off?

As reported in the Richmond-Times Dispatch, Great Horned owls are beginning their search for a mate. The owl's hooting in the hours of early morning are apparently a prelude to mating.

Perhaps we should take a cue from the owls.....

Carmen McRae & Sammy Davis Jr-Baby, It's Cold Outside