The walnut brain has just enough smarts to get us a passable owl. We're not looking at the next Socrates here. ๐
Though not as rich nor as buttery, I'd still take the Scops over another Werther's Original. ๐ฌ
I've got the slow... but the maxx has yet to show... ๐
I feel this when I have to go back to the hardware store because I'm one fastener short or one thing was the wrong size.
Photoshop: Nature Edition
A great selection of medium and large owls from Europe, Africa, and South America, plus a Scops someone found leftover in their pocket.
Hah, I didn't notice this one. My fav is the lady in red and white with the Milky Eagle Owl. It looks like they are making the same face.
To my knowledge, I've only seen owls hatched in captivity and imprinted immediately really be used this way. I don't share much content like this because they are animals that should be wild, but humans have purposely made to be unable to care for themselves, yet still aren't really domestic animals.
A wild owl is not going to understand you petting it in the way you intend it. The only physical contact they enjoy is when they're going to eat something or make a baby owl, and we are obviously not either of those things to them.
Mammals seem to be the only things I see actively cuddling with each other, and even then it's really only with those they consider to be family or mates.
I babysat a bearded dragon once. It was kinda cool, but as you said, it didn't really want any interaction with me.
I think we could solve at least a quarter of all conflicts if adults were just allowed a daily nap.
Normalize napping now!
My pleasure. It felt like we needed to see a little bit of positive humanity.
From Norfolk Owls
Kings Lynn care home gets a visit from a few owl ambassadors. All parties seem to have enjoyed their adventures.
From Rita Flohr
Trying to sunbathe when the squirrels are busy in the same tree. Love when the screech owls pop out in their cavity for some sunshine!
From Souvik Kundu
Pallid Scops Owl (Otus brucei), a ghostly pale nocturnal hunter, is one of India's most elusive winter visitors, blending seamlessly into arid landscapes with its sandy plumage and piercing yellow eyes. Measuring just 18-21 cm, it is smaller than many sparrows yet a fierce predator of insects and small vertebrates.
Sightings in Maharashtra remain exceptionally rare, confined mostly to Mumbai suburbs and western coastal areas.
Uran, Maharashtra January 2026
From Wild Wings Inc
Great horned owls have huge eyes compared to their head size. If humans had the same eye to head proportion, our eyes would be about the size of grapefruits.
From Nicole Seward
Just as I was done for the day the Snowy Owl flew right overhead!
This photo is as far from the typical goofball look we expect from a Snowy as you could get! ๐ฎ
This time of year is a bit slow. Migratory season is coming to an end and nesting season isn't quite here yet. A lot of what is coming through my feeds looks all the same to me and it's a bit uninspiring some days.
Are there any birds or topics you'd like to hear about?
You want more rare birds? There isn't always much to say about them, since there aren't many photos or facts, so I don't always cover them much.
Got any anatomy or physiology questions? I like reading about flight, digestion, respiration, etc but most of you seem to enjoy more lighthearted things than technical, but I'm sure some of you have questions.
Is there just some particular owl you'd like to see more of? I usually post new things, but if you just want to see more of something special, I can browse the owl archives. Or is there a part of the world you'd like to know about. South America and Australia I'd say are the least covered recently.
Let me know!
From Krzysztof Baranowski
Tawny owls (Strix aluco) had been trying to nest in a hollow nearby, but it seems raccoons took over. Still, it's amazing to see them around, holding their ground in the forest.
Germany, 6/2024
Canon R6 Mk II
RF 400mm F2.8 @560mm
1/180s, F4 ISO640
From Kim Marriott
Young Marsh Owl
From John Barwell
Decided to revisit and re-edit some of my earliest wildlife photos from nearly two years ago. A Great Horned Owl and her owlets-one of the moments that pulled me deeper into wildlife photography.
From Bird Guides
New data indicate that Finland's Great Grey Owl population has risen modestly in recent years, suggesting that this enigmatic and much-sought-species may be adapting to changing environmental conditions.
The trend bucks expectations for an owl closely tied to cold, boreal habitats and highlights the complexity of responses to climate change.
Long-term monitoring, including national surveys and assessments, shows an increase of some 8-9% in Finland's Great Grey Owl numbers over recent years, as reported by Ornithomedia. There has been some redistribution within the country's range, too; Central Finland has seen declines offset by gains in northern areas, while the overall trend remains positive.
The species typically favours extensive boreal forest and relies on small mammals such as voles for food. Its population has historically been limited by fluctuating prey cycles and habitat constraints.
Researchers suggest that warmer conditions and milder winters may be influencing survival and distribution patterns, although the precise mechanisms remain unclear. In other northern European countries, range shifts have been documented with owls establishing further south or west than in previous decades โ a pattern that may partly reflect changing climate regimes alongside natural population dynamics.
Despite this encouraging signal for Finland's Great Grey Owls, conservationists caution that the species remains dependent on healthy forest ecosystems and regular prey availability. Broader climate change effects, including altered snow cover and unpredictable vole cycles, could still pose challenges.
Continued monitoring across Scandinavia will be essential to determine whether recent gains translate into stable long-term recovery or simply reflect short-term fluctuations.
From Owl Rescue Centre
Last week, someone asked me, "How do you catch a wild owl? Do you just call them and they come to you?"
I had to laugh-in over 20,000 rescues, I've never had an owl fly to me just because I called it. I've certainly called out to many, but they never seem to get the memo! ๐
Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?