This is a Barred owl.
Looks fairly similar to this owl which is also common to this area.
This is a Spotted owl.
Being the amateur birder that I am, I wanted to be able to distinguish between the two. When running it is difficult to get a really good look at what just swooped in front of you. I am leaning towards it being the Barred owl. Their behaviour and I am not lying here, is for them to swoop down on joggers primarily female joggers with ponytails. This sounds funny I know but it's true. They think the ponytail looks similar to a squirrel. Thank god I don't have a ponytail. But really for a bird who is suppose to be so wise, do I really look like a squirrel whilst I am running? I don't think so!!! As for the Spotted Owl, I think the bird actually looked more like the Spotted owl than the Barred, but as I said the antics of the bird were very similar to the Barred. So I am not sure what I should put in my bird book....maybe I will just reference both, and when I go for a run again, I might have the fortune or misfortune of this bird swooping down on me again!!
Anyhow, it made for a very interesting run. Bert my fearless dog didn't seem to be bother by the owl at all.
13 comments:
I love owls! You can hear them in the woods behind our house, but I've never actually gotten to see one! I'm so jealous!!! :D
ususally when Owl turns up he/she is trying to tell you something, so perhaps the fact that he actually "swooped" you perhaps means that you are ignoring the messages from the Universe...and he/she needed to get your attention with this aggressive behaviour?
nice to see you back visiting my Blog,
cheers for now,
pj
Owls are so beautiful. Hahaha to them thinking female joggers with ponytails look like squirrels ... I think they need glasses !!
Have a great day.
Take care, Meow
A Barred Owl keeps dive bombing the neighbours around here and the cats too!
We found one lurking in a tree near us too!
Years ago while sitting in the woods on opening day of deer season with hubby (well, a few feet away) this giant bird swooped down and flapping it's wings took flight in a different direction and literally scared me pretty badly. The sound of his wings flapping in the quiet woods was very unsettling.....hubby was watching and started laughing at me after my initial scream and tried to reassure me that it was only an owl. It sounded like I imagine the pterodactyl might have sounded in the pre-historic times! I'm such a scardy cat! Ha ha
Geez remind me to go jogging with my ponytail hidden in my hood! lol They certainly are beautiful though and we don't get to see them very often around here. Only twice have I ever seen one near our place!!
Owls are interesting birds. I love to watch the birds in my backyard. This past summer I heard an owl hooting several nights in a row. I guess he was just visiting for a while?
Or maybe he was hunting for cats and small dogs. Owls like to eat skunks and will also eat cats.
You have a great place to live. That's for sure.
later...
They do look similar, don't they? I didn't realize owls could be so aggressive.
You live in the best part of the world. I miss Vancouver Island SO much.
Josie
Hi..Thanks for visiting my blog,
I have never known an owl to swoop,
but we have a bird over here called
a magpie ,during their nesting they
swoop all the time and draw blood when they hit!!
If you dont wear a horses tail,
have a look you may have grown one
He!!He!!
You are very good at photography I must say!!Have done a course from somewhere?? The pics are really awesome..I don't 've an owl but yeah, I do 've a parrot. can you suggest a name for her??
I would have wet my pants!
Ohh this is what I'm homesick for:)
Thank you for the photos.
I love owls,and have heard of them doing that. ACK,that'd be quite the shock,wouldn't it?
I saw an owl last month when hubby took us up to Hanceville for a picnic. It was eyeing up our friendly chipmunk,lol
Hey! thanks for visiting my blog...
I 'll be coming back again to look for more posts..Keep up the good work.
All the best.
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