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Favourite Owl Species

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Tetzoo Quizzer, 17 Feb 2021.

  1. Tetzoo Quizzer

    Tetzoo Quizzer Well-Known Member

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    Near Wales
    Let’s start another of these threads- favourite Owls; 10 species, in my case all seen in the wild-
    11. Okay, but I’m going to mention Long-whiskered Owlet even if it doesn’t make top 10, as the sighting was so brief; probably the steepest walk I have ever done in the dark!
    10. Burrowing Owl; always charismatic
    9. Hume’s Owl; real Israeli wilderness (and it took two trips to nail it!)
    8. Buffy Fish Owl; seen from a night cruise in Borneo
    7. Marsh Owl; flying over the marshes where the last Slender-billed Curlew were wintering
    6. Barn Owl; always graceful and a pleasure to watch
    5. Spectacled Owl; a wonderful pair on the Pipeline Road, Panama
    4. Short-eared Owl; such a pleasure to have them wintering on the local marshes; mind you, the experience of watching them hunting storm petrels in the Galapagos while Bryde’s Whale breached in the background takes some beating!
    The top 3 show why Finland is so great for owls (and Ural, Pygmy, Eagle and Tengmalm’s don’t even make the list!)
    3. Snowy owl; whether in a Lincolnshire field or on the Machair of the Outer Hebrides, spectacular, but at its best perched on a farm out-building in Finnish snow
    2. Northern Hawk Owl at the nest and perching on top of scattered trees; such a unique shape
    1 Great Grey Owl; best experience seeing three almost fully grown chicks at the nest with a parent in close attendance, and then, as we were leaving finding the other parent perched up on guard.
     
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  2. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Hmm, let's see.

    Burrowing Owl
    Spectacled Owl
    Great Gray Owl
    Barn Owl
    Snowy Owl
    Crested Owl
    Northern Hawk Owl
    Verreaux's Eagle Owl
    Pel's Fishing Owl
    Northern Saw-whet Owl

    I've seen 7 of those, not all wild though.
     
  3. birdsandbats

    birdsandbats Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Wisconsin
    Great Gray is my favorite I've seen in the wild. I got great views of one comically sitting on the top point of a Black Spruce. I had no idea they were so big.
     
  4. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    London, UK
    Spectacled owl, barn owl, long-eared owl, great grey owl, burrowing owl, Pel's fishing owl, laughing owl, boobook owl, long-whiskered owlet, bay owl