Yes, it’s Superb Owl Sunday, when we celebrate our silent-flying friends! It’s pretty appropriate this year since they’re good at keeping their distance.
UPDATE: Aha! My strategy is working. By posting a lot of mediocre photos of owls, it has encouraged people to post a lot of really incredible photos of owls! In fact, they are posting Superb! owl photos.
So yeah, others may be glued to the TV today but let’s venture out, shall we?
I could stretch to make football related puns but… naaaah. (Feel free to do so in comments, of course.) Let’s just take a moment to celebrate the awesomeness of owls.
On one hand, they are the very embodiment of wildness — the hoot of an owl is movie shorthand for “you’re outside in a wild place”. They’re so at home in these wild places that they blend right into the trees they inhabit. How many branches have you passed, not realizing they weren’t branches?
OTOH, they’re quite at home with us and among us. Some owls have adapted to humans and their structures — one species has adapted so well that it’s part of their name, Barn Owl. But they’ll use plenty of other buildings as well. These siblings, for example, are growing up in one of San Francisco’s most exclusive neighborhoods. Their neighbors may be billionaires but who has the best view?
Urban owls raise families in surprising busy locations. This Great Horned Owl has nested for years in Golden Gate Park across the street from a popular spot for both locals and out-of-town visitors. There are passers-by all day long, and people frequently stop to have a look at her. She’s not bothered by humans, but the local corvids harass her enough to make up for everyone else.
Owls don’t really build their own nests — they use nests made by other species (old hawk nests or woodpecker cavities), or make use of naturally occurring spaces like tree crotches, hollow logs/branches, cavities in rocks, or large snags.
Nest sites are interesting, but look at how awesome they are at finding places to hang out when they’re not being silent killers of the night…
Of course, they can’t always find a good place to shelter. This Long-eared Owl couldn’t dodge the raindrops. Bedraggled isn’t his best look.
Eventually, the rain stops and we look more owly.
A few more owls, just because why not?
As fabulous, exciting and photogenic as owls can be, not every Superb Owl yields a superb photo. But if they’re super special, it’s hard not to try even when you know you’re going to get something … suboptimal.
So, hey — let’s see your Superb Owls.