On Silent Wings

An article in the knoxnews.com discusses some of the characteristics of owl feathers that enable them to fly silently.  If you've ever had a large bird, like a Canada goose, fly low over head you know how much noise a bird in flight can make just by flapping its wings.

Many nocturnal owls in flight make little noise. The article points out that this is due to the types of feathers on the wings of these owls.  These feathers combine to reduce the amount of noise by breaking up the air flowing over the wings and absorbing the some of the remaining sound. The reduced noise makes it easier for the owl to detect prey and to avoid being detected by potential meals.

 

The author of the article makes the inevitable comparison to a stealth bomber so I'll oblige with a set of pics.

Mother Nature is a ....

San Francisco

An owl nest wired with a webcam is showing the start of a new family of barn owls (starrranch.org).
But, owlet 6 was born late. Smaller than its sibs & its having a tough time competing for the available food. I guess he's losing the battle.


Other examples that living in nature is no picnic:

• School of sardines suffocates in the water off of Redondo Beach and;
• gulls have fallen prey to a deadly mold that fells about 20 birds every month

For more, click here

Party On!!

Caratunk Wildlife Refuge

This Saturday night meet up at Doherty's, a local watering hole, and for $20 you can sip some brews and maybe catch sight of an owl at night.  A naturalist (naturally) from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island will lead the beer tasting and subsequent owl crawl. (7 to 9:30 p.m., reservations required)

I don't think this is what former Washington DC mayor, Marion Barry, meant when he proclaimed himself a "Night Owl". On second thought, maybe it is!

Read more here

Hey!  Why is the Audubon Society of Rhode Island located in  Seekonk, Massachusetts?  RI is really a small state!!

Not the Hand of God

It's not clear from the article but it seems that an owl landed on a football field and was intentionally booted by a player for one of the teams.  The owl later died.  Of course, after the game, the player was sorry after for what he had done.

Yet, another reason for the lack of popularity of soccer in the U.S.
Read about it here.

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.