Barred Owl

Yup.

 

We've got great horned owls hooting away at night right now. There's a bunch of them off in other directions . I'll see a owl fly away when I walk thru the woods but I'd never get a picture like that even if I carried my camera or phone with me. They're not as loud as barred owls though.

 

We had one on the backhill all summer, it was nice listening to the Owl in the morning and at night.

 

What's a pizza without toppings, your wife said you take hers all the time.

 

Nice pics Zap!

 

Thanks Yoop, the Owl usually takes off before I can get a picture so I'm guessing the hunting must of been good.

 

It would be a very rare occurrence for a Barred Owl to try to take a squirrel, they are the ultimate mousers. The Barred Owls feet are too small and weak for prey of that size.

The Great Horned Owl is known for preying on skunks.

 

Food and feeding[edit]
The barred owl is a generalist predator. The principal prey of this owl are meadow voles, followed by mice and shrews of various species; other mammals preyed upon include rats, squirrels, rabbits, bats, moles, opossums, mink, and weasels.[17][35] A barred owl was photographed in Minnesota in 2012 grabbing and flying off with a full-grown domestic cat, a semi-regular prey item for the great horned owl but previously unknown to be taken by this species.[36] Birds are taken occasionally and commonly include woodpeckers, grouse,quails, jays, icterids, doves, pigeons[17][35] and even domestic ducks, and chickens, where they will swoop through small openings in enclosed and covered runs. Less commonly, other raptors are predated, including smaller owls.[34] Avian prey are typically taken as they settle into nocturnal roosts, because these owls are not generally nimble enough to catch birds on the wing. It occasionally wades into water to capture fish, turtles, frogs and crayfish.[3][17][37][38] Additional prey include snakes, lizards, salamanders, slugs,scorpions, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, and earthworms.[17][39] Barred owls have been known to be attracted to campfires and lights where they forage for large insects. Prey is usually devoured on the spot. Larger prey is carried to a feeding perch and torn apart before eating.

The barred owl hunts by waiting on a high perch at night, or flying through the woods and swooping down on prey. A barred owl can sometimes be seen hunting before dark. This typically occurs during the nesting season or on dark and cloudy days. Of the North American owls, the pygmy, hawk, snowy and burrowing owls are more likely to be active during the day. Daytime activity is often most prevalent when barred owls are raising chicks.[3][38] However, this species still generally hunts near dawn or dusk.

 

I said it would be a very rare occurrence, didn't say it never happened. I've studied owls in the mid-Mississippi river basin for more than 30 years. I stand by my statement.

 

Very nice pic. I have one that lives in my woods. I have seen it a few times since we owned the ground. My wife is a tad jealous. She has never seen it.