Lookie What Came to Visit Us Today!

Two of my little ones are home sick today, and this fine owl has been napping in our tree just outside our back slider. How lucky are we?!

I like how he blends in so well with the colors of the tree and the fence. Cool photos! :thumbsup:

'cause it blends so well with everything.

Earlier, before it fell asleep, it was doing the turning of the neck thing that owls do so well -- freaky. But my kids got a kick out of it.

What a special treat for two rugrats who've been home sick for three days. :)

Kisses for the owl! :o

I don't know of what though!
It looks like you live in an urban area because of the fence near your back slider. It must be unusual to see an owl in your yard.

I hadn't thought of that.

The first thing when I read your post was that my 8 year-old has been having symptoms similar to an appendicitis, and we've been watching her closely. (Both kids have had the flu -- fever, congestion, etc.)

Yikes. More to worry me with.

Yes, we live in the suburbs -- but close to a large field, with lots of mice. We've seen owls at night, but never during the day like this -- especially ALL day. We get lots of hawks, an occasional eagle and a couple of weeks ago I saw some sort of crane! It tried to land on the pine -- strange sight, indeed, considering that it was right after that storm that hit CA and put a fair amount of snow down here in the valley (Reno).

My remark was silly and should not cause you to worry. I'll do a little research.I'm sure it has different meanings in different cultures.

If it's an omen, then I will have to consider my preparedness -- I'll do a little inventory, if you will. ;)

In my heart of hearts, I can't imagine something so beautiful is meant to represent evil, per se.

I guess from your worrying that you heard that the Romans considered owls unlucky. I didn't know that and would never have said anything about an omen had I known that.
However, did you know that the Greeks considered owls lucky? In fact, the owl was sacred to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
In Shamanic traditions, "the owl is a symbol of wisdom and often considered magical. Connected to night and the moon, it is also a feminine symbol. Because it can see in the dark, the owl is linked with clairvoyance and the revelation of unseen truths. Therefore people with Owl medicine are thought to be able to see what others try to hide and to hear what is not being said. The appearance of an owl in one's life may be a sign that it is time to open one's eyes, to watch and listen in silence and figure out the situation at hand. It may also signify the need to study one's shadow self, to try and find out what lies hidden within. Owl may help in finding the truth when we have deceived ourselves, and in accepting things we already know in our hearts. Owls are also associated with prophetic powers and are said to bring messages through dreams and meditation."

Here's a link to where I read this. http://www.dierinbeeld.nl/animal_files/birds/owl/index.html

Good luck and I hope your offspring is doing better.

Thanks for that -- very comforting. Makes me feel special!

the Greek goddess of wisdom. The Greeks revered them and thought them bearers of clear sight, clear-headedness, and wisdom, as Athena was a favorite goddess indeed. :)

That is a LONG-EARED OWL!!!!!!!

WOW!!!!!!!!111! WOW!@!!!!!!!1!1

My son spotted it first early this morning. I thought for sure it was a cat -- it was sitting sideways and those big ears were huge, and its tail feathers were hanging down like a cat's tail. Then it turned its head almost completely around and I knew I'd never seen a cat do that!

I've only ever seen one once. :shrug:

I honestly thought you meant it was, literally, just a long eared owl. :rofl:

I'm looking at a close up pic of ours and trying to compare with these, but, I think you're right. The owl in my back yard has a thinner face and longer ears than the Great Horned below.


Owl in My Back Yard


Long Eared owl



Great Horned

what a great yard bird!!

You can tell it is a long eared owl just from the indignant expression - "how dare you look at me! Get lost!"

I've seen Long Eared Owls only once. There's a couple reliable spots in Ohio, but there's some ethical issues about going to see them at the one location, since they spook easily.

Great Horned Owls and Barred Owls will actually eat these guys - they are much smaller.

If that bird showed up in my back yard, I would have such bragging rights...

The neighbor's cat must've spooked it because I saw him loitering under the tree where it had been perched all day long. I hope it comes back and is not bothered by the cat. Earlier, several Western Scrub-Jay's -- very aggressive birds -- were dive-bombing around it, obviously irritated by its presence. And it just sat there -- ignoring them mostly. Very interesting, considering that I, too, thought it would spook easily. I went out earlier to take these pictures and it just sat there and looked at me with that "how dare you look at me! Get lost!" look that you described so well -- I was within 15 feet or so.

I'm glad your kids got to see these. They're such amazing creatures. I had one--or more--living in my front tree all summer. I never saw it, but it would call every night. Kind of eery. I once did a report on owls for my birding club in Iowa, and learned a lot. They're just stunning.

Glad you had these visitors!!

The kids were mesmerized and so was I. I've been out a few times tonight to check if I can hear it. Nothing yet. I hope it continues to feel invited in my backyard! :hi:

Thanks for the pics!

Eh, nice pic of a bird. :D

based on the heavy vertical barring on the belly and the black around the eyes.

nice pics of a bird! :P

:applause:

What a beautiful bird! :loveya:

that's cool that you got the picture.

I love owls, they're such beautiful animals. You're very lucky to see one that close. Thanks for sharing the pics! :hi: