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For the past year we've had a new pair of residents on our property: silent, intelligent, hunters respected by Native Americans for thousands of years as a symbol if wisdom. A mated pair of barred owls. Now these two large owls (they are both a good two feet tall) have been really great- scary calls to freak out unfamiliar visitors (fun), they keep me company outside (frequently they'll purch in a tree just a few yards away- completely relaxed), but last night as I was picking berries I noticed another benefit. Notice I said "picking berries"? As in the birds/chipmunks hadn't done it for me already.
Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Barred Owl
There is something to be said for being smart about maintaining your property. Not only do I get the joy of some non-human company when outside but we both reap the benefit of our mutual existence.
In some states, people are lucky to ever even see an owl...
Hey! I totally agree, NH perserves thier nature,animals and land unlike other places,I never appricated NH until I left & now would give anything to go back! It's one of the few places That is still very natural and unbothered! I love it!! Thanks for your post!
We were camping up north last Labor Day and had what I *think* was a barred owl land in a tree at the edge of our campsite one night (too dark to see). If it was, they make some bizarre noises! It sounded like he was laughing at us.
Barred owls are basically the "big" owls that don't have little horn looking shaped tufts of feathers (they are Great Horned Owls). They make a very "owl" noise (though deep) and the male/female have a real conversation back and forth- not just a series of calls. They tend to be the most noisy in the early evening and early morning.
Screech Owls on the other hand are tiny and sound scary as heck...they sound evil and used to scare explorers (still do). We've got them too...but they just visit from time to time and aren't as social with us.
Last year and this we have a pair of falcons in the area, that the rock pigeons dread. Saves me the effort to shoot them too.
This morning there was a pile of robbin feathers, but i have no idea what killed it. No body, just feathers. Not even any bones. Was this an owl or a cat, and by cat I mean bob cat or better, because we have no cats, and none around for better than a mile.
In the last year i have seen fresh smaller cat tracks in loose sandy soils just 3 times and assume these are bob cats.
I do often times hear owls in evenings while puttering in the garden. I wonder what got that robbin too?
I always enjoy watching nature, I live right on the Exeter river, just saw a momma duck swim by with 8 or 9 babies in tow, there's some adults that wander up and eat the bird food dropped from the neighbors feeders, many squirrels, one with no tail so he's easy to track, a cormorant was around for a few days a while back, fun watching them feed. Just yesterday I video'd a beaver on the river bank (video is in the NH pictures thread), hadn't seen one of them yet, had a canoer go by last night that got quite a few tail slaps from him, don't know if he's taking up residence or what.
We have any number of critters around the condo in Londonderry. Many birds including both Herons and Hummingbirds as well a Mocking birds, robins, barn swallows (watching these things hunting insects will give you a new perspective on flying) Canada Geese, squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, etc. Once had an Owl strafe me while walking on a local road through the trees. I jumped a foot because I did not hear him coming. Nice place we live in.
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