Barred Owls

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Description

Barred Owls, SW Florida
We spent a couple hours at a Florida nature park where we heard there was a pair of barred owls that were easy to find, since they hooted often. We, very unfortunately, chose the maintenance day at the park, with leaf blowers and mowers polluting the silence, so we could not hear a thing. We finally gave up, and were heading toward the exit, but asked the last maintenance worker if he knew of any owls around. He didn’t say a thing, but just pointed straight up - there they were, watching US.
A few hanging strands of moss and 2 thin branches removed from across the owl’s bodies

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all comments welcome

Technical Details

Sony A1
200-600 @ 600mm
F 10
ISO 3200
SS 1/2500 (always set for flying birds)
Manual
Spot metering

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2 Likes
2

Great habitat capture of the pair. They look huge, much bigger than the Barred Owls I’ve on the west coast. Are the eastern owls larger?

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@Allen_Brooks
Hi, Allen, yes, the Florida owls are a bit bigger than the PNW ones.
Per Google:

A barred owl in Florida is typically 17–24 inches long, with a wingspan of 40–50 inches. They weigh around 22 ounces for males and 28 ounces for females.

Barred owls in Oregon can range in size and weight, with females typically being larger than males:

  • Length: Barred owls are typically 16.9–19.7 in (43–50 cm) long
  • Weight: Barred owls typically weigh 16.6–37.0 oz (470–1050 g)
  • Wingspan: Barred owls typically have a wingspan of 39.0–43.3 in (99–110 cm)
  • Sex: Female barred owls are typically larger than males, with some reports of females weighing up to 2.54 lb (1,150 g)
1 Like
5

Nice, Sandy. Very cool to get a pair snuggled up so closely. They look annoyed by the maintenance noise as well.

1 Like
6

Excellent shot. As you probably know they are invasive in the PNW and compete with native spotted owls for territory here. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that several thousand must be killed, beginning (probably) next spring, to protect habitat for both species.

7

Very good work Sandy. I love the pair being so close together and the mossy perch. The open beak of the one on the right is great and he gave you a good look. I do find myself wishing the eyes were open on the left owl, but hey you can’t have everything. Really nice work