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Project Noah Nature School
Strix varia
The larger feather is ~12" L x 2" W; the smaller feather is ~10" L x 1" wide. I found the feathers in almost the same location, about a week apart (sometime during the summer of 2010). The date I posted for the spotting is completely arbitrary. Related Resource: The Feather Atlas | Barred Owl - Strix varia - Adult - Female http://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feat...
A residential neighborhood located beside Kirk Park, a large wooded area. Paul Spring, a small stream, flows through the park year-round.
© Copyright 2011 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Spotted on Jun 21, 2010
Submitted on Jun 22, 2011
7 Comments
The first feather is definitely Barred Owl, but the second is Red-shouldered Hawk.
Bear in mind I found the owl feathers in an exurban neighborhood, on the edge of a small "park." (Apparently any reasonably large wooded area qualifies as a park.) And a pair of owls is reported to be nesting in a similar size wooded area about a mile from my house, although they have eluded me so far. The challenge is, owls are nocturnal, right?
Cool! Glad to hear it – and thanks! I’m afraid outside of captive settings, I’ve only ever managed one or two quick glimpses of owls. Sadly, there are not many birds of prey in the urban neighborhood where I live. Once I graduate (I’m an Env. Science major) I’d love to start volunteering and spending more time at local parks… Maybe then I’ll have more luck.
I look forward to your photos as an official park volunteer! :)
I think it was better than a lucky guess, and in fact, your ID is correct, Steffi. After I met with a naturalist at a nearby wetlands park (I am an official volunteer as of today), I noticed a display of bird feathers at the Visitor Center. The example of a Barred Owl feather is identical to the ones I found. As I said, good call! So why don't we see more owl photos among your spottings?
You're very welcome! It was just a lucky guess, to be honest. I’m slightly obsessed with owls at the moment. And it’s funny that you should mention the butterfly in my profile pic – it’s actually an Owl Butterfly! http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/668...
Oh you're good, Steffi -- very good! I think your ID is spot on, based upon the URL you suggested (looks like a great reference). Thanks for your help! BTW, what type of insect is on your hand (in your PN photo)?
Hard to tell, but my guess would be that they're from a Barred Owl (Strix varia) wing. Reference: http://www.lab.fws.gov/featheratlas/feat... . Might be a good idea to check the images on that site from some raptors common to your area to be sure