Photo: Snowy Owl on rooftop in Minneapolis

From the Star Tribune

http://startribune.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/JXImage.aspx?ImageID=738054&EventID=520392&CategoryID=38958&CollectionID=933&Sort=

.
and I was fairly, let's just say... intoxicated... and I saw the silhouette of a large owl on
the roof of the building across a large expanse of lawn. I assumed it was hunting and I
started squeaking like a little mouse trying to elicit some sort of response/movement.
.
Nothing.
.
I figured either it was sleeping or I hadn't fooled it in the least.
.
Went out the next day and discovered it was a large plastic owl that had ALWAYS been
up there in an attempt to keep birds off the roof.
.
The only thing... the ONLIEST that allowed me to retain the slightest shred of dignity
was the realization that I hadn't been out there flapping my wings at it.
.

.

I'm glad you didn't flap your arms too!

It reminds me of a story I heard from a biologist.

He was doing a spotted owl study over in the redwood country. He was playing a baby rabbit tape trying to get the owls to come in.

After about at hour at the survey location, he stood up to leave and startled no less than THREE mountain lions who had been stalking the "rabbit" from the other side of the ferns. :o

They really don't make any noise. It was lovely

.
One dark night, I was walking through those woods to my friend's
about half-a-mile away and the oddest W-H-O-O-S-H-I-N-G sound
occurred (it seemed) all around me. It sounded like a slow powerful
wind and it lasted for about 20-30 seconds -- but there was
absolutely no breeze.
.
I told my friend when I got to his place and he told me that there
was a nesting mated pair of (I think) Great Northern Owls (a BIG breed,
whatever they were) that came back to that section of woods every year...
and that what I described was exactly what it would have sounded like
had one or both of them had been flying by or around me.
.
It was very, VERY cool.
.
This is Arizona -- hummingbirds everywhere. Coolest place for me in
Tucson for a first date is the Tohono Chul Tearoom. It's in a small
park with all sorts of tended plant life and free-roaming wildlife.
Eat outside on the patio and chances are a hummingbird or hummingbirds
will fly within inches of you and hover for some time while curiously
checking you out. Great food... but those jewel-hued little birds add
some real magic.
.

natural and animal (bird?) world.
I had a bottle brush tree in my yard. A hummingbird flew up to it, looked at the red brushes, flew up 2 inches from my nose, and looked into my eyes. I realized if he moved forward, with that long pointy beak, he would poke my eye out.
He looked at me, eye to eye, and flew off.
dc

I was wondering around outside one night and one flew past me. I caught him out of the corner of my eye flying by me. He was about 10 feet away.

I didn't hear him at all. I go by my hearing a lot too. He was just so graceful and beautiful, but flew so quietly.

:bounce:

;)

Thank you for sharing.

In Uptown Mpls, a few years ago, I had a huge red tailed hawk perched on my balcony railing. It was magnificent! I took some photos of it through the window and it snapped its head around to see the origin of the clicking (I couldn't believe it heard the clicking!) so I was able to get a few shots of it looking me. I'll never forget that. It was such a pleasure to see such a regal and majestic bird up close. :hi:

I see red tailed hawks around a lot. Especially around the Greenway.

and he knows it. ;) Hoot!

They have a problem with pigeons roosting and shitting on their roof. Just happened to look up and see this plastic owl that was at least 3 feet tall on one side of the roof. Never saw it before. Separated from the owl by a peak in the roof were three big fat pigeons.

Then they'll use it as a perch. Those things are useless.

No, I think that was his dead brother.

him twice when I was close enough to identify him, but not able to get his picture.

However, I found a picture of our barred owl on the internet and he looks like this: