anon6789

anon6789, 7 days ago (edited 7 days ago)

The helpers glued the butterfly swatter to the telescope arm and lifted both owls to safety. The video shows the moment when one of the owls gets to safety.

Do you have the link to the article/video? I want to see an owlet riding a fly swatter to freedom!

Edit: Found an article! It’s a butterfly net, not a fly swatter.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/6d976193-4ec6-4d2d-83a9-2392d65224c6.jpeg

Some good pics in the article here.

Here’s one of the troublemakers!

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/2061d25a-3c08-49e7-8563-5608e7f98846.jpeg

anon6789, 7 days ago

A net does seem much easier. I was hoping it was a a fly swatter though, as I was picturing an owl getting flipped like a hamburger by a spatula!

Also, I forgot to mention, but my guess is these are Ural Owls, as seen here:

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/2eecc934-0477-4e8a-8a41-266026f24e58.jpeg

anon6789, 7 days ago

I didn’t think of it while I was translating to search for the article, but I searched the Finnish for “owl” and then the city name (owl and chimney gave too many results and all were old) but I didn’t take note at the time that it looked like the Spanish “pollo,” which means chicken.

Is “pöllö” used for anything else, or does it only refer to owls? I see some other Finnish owls don’t have pöllö in their name, like Eagle Owl is huuhkaja.

anon6789, 7 days ago

Indeed, as long as it’s not something technical I’m really trying to understand, I somewhat enjoy bad translations.

anon6789, 7 days ago

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d24af36f-6026-4e3e-a67e-6b3a3b7f67a8.jpeg

This is the Pearl Spotted Owlet, a type of Pygmy Owl. Like many Pygmy Owls, this one has the characteristic eye spots on the back of the head.

There is also an African Barred Owlet, which is similar looking, but has striped on the head instead of spots.

anon6789, 7 days ago (edited 7 days ago)

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/acd6bc66-ce48-4e4a-a8e6-700edee96d16.jpeg

I swear this isn’t just a Great Horned Owl!

Again, while (edit: the Spotted Eagle Owl is) in the same genus as one of the greatest American owls, this owl is its own species.

This is the most common owl in southern Africa, and it is the smallest of the Eagle Owls. They are commonly found near people, prefer to live in rocky areas, and have a distinct call from the American GHO.

anon6789, 7 days ago

They mostly eat bugs instead of cute fluffy things if that is a plus!

anon6789, 7 days ago

Whoops, I never said the one above is a Spotted Eagle Owl.

Here is a journey of Bubos from South Africa, through north Africa and the Middle East, to India, up through East Asia, over the Bering Land Bridge, and down to South America. I didn’t include all the Bubos, but this should be pretty good showing how they changed as they spread out over most of the world. The Fish Owls also probably split off of this group in East Asia. The Snowy and GHO split off somewhere while the land bridge existed.

Spotted Eagle Owl

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/10f0f11e-3d25-4fba-864a-22da698bec34.jpeg

Pharaoh Eagle Owl

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/31fde002-3a10-4269-908a-41f29cc53cd6.jpeg

Arabian Eagle Owl

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/898dfdf2-1f0f-4038-b82a-38bab96b1e4a.jpeg

Indian Eagle Owl

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d1cd87c1-b4aa-42a9-91df-4c4baf647019.webp

Eurasian Eagle Owl

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/c2ad7904-72f6-41b9-af8a-73bc4bf706cf.png

Great Horned Owl

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/6977ae03-c573-49d5-97a4-b2c8237809d8.jpeg

Magellanic (Lesser) Horned Owl

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/6d3a9e0c-e608-42fe-b07f-e39cedd84aeb.jpeg

anon6789, 7 days ago

I’m glad you enjoyed it! This is a bit more direct comparison then I’ve done before as well.

At one point I was going to show off every owl, one by one, but since about 1/3 of all species would pass for your average Screech Owl, I passed on that project.

anon6789, 7 days ago

I did a little cherry picking in images, but mainly just to find ones not overly edited.

I wonder which is thought to be the oldest. Middle to east Asia is where the Eurasian Eagle Owl and the Fish Owls were the least GHO looking, while the more away from East Asia we go in either direction looks more GHO. If they branched off to be the Fish Owls that are only in Asia and the Snowies in the Arctic, that would seem to be where the most diversity came from.

I’m no zoologist though, so don’t put much weight into this. 🙃

anon6789, 7 days ago

Oh, we’ll get there eventually! I just thought it would be tiring for all of us to have 100 days of Screech variations followed by 50 of Pygmies.

I’ve been meaning to make a checklist to track who I’ve missed so far though. I’m hoping I’m about a third through them all.

I’m glad you’re enjoying all the ones we’ve learned about so far! You guys keep me motivated.

anon6789, 7 days ago

I don’t know how the groups like Opossums and Bats and Raccoons do it, just have a few species. I don’t know how I’d get something new every day.

Owls are easy because I’ve got 250+ to pick from, even if a lot of them look similar. If I get tired of one, I’ve got options, but how many kinds of different looking possums exist? 3?

A general AnimalFacts could be fun though, and would be able to use cross posting effectively to borrow items from other groups.

anon6789, 7 days ago

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/3d2a2970-5467-47fb-8262-300740304550.jpeg

He’s the one in the middle. I know it’s a smaller pic so it may be hard to see.

anon6789, 7 days ago

I hadn’t seen that before, but that is a perfect companion clip for this photo!

I’m sure there are days that play out quite similar to that!

anon6789, 7 days ago

That would be a great idea!

anon6789, 7 days ago

I know many here don’t like the Facebook links, and I don’t disagree with anyone for that. I was going to delete my account until I started doing this since it is the best way to get up to date info from the rescues, so that’s about all I use it for.

Don’t worry, I will share all the good stuff here and face all the tracking and cookies for you!

anon6789, 7 days ago

I must have seen it at least once then, I did see Monsters, Inc when that came out, but maybe only once or twice since.

I have seen that XKCD before though, and as I get older, sometimes I enjoy getting to try things again for the first time as I forget about things I’ve apparently already done! 😆

It’s always fun to see all the references you guys share when I post some of these pics. I never know what you all will share in return. We’ve had some great laughs and some real tangential conversations during a few of these posts, and it’s always a pleasant surprise where we can end up.

anon6789, 7 days ago

You did make me laugh, but they’re all foster kids, so he could have lived a very chaste life! 😇

Owl kinky time doesn’t really sound like it is a fun time though, so I don’t know how exciting being a participant actually is. It sounds like getting pregnant by having someone fall on you.

From Ask an Academic:

Owls are generally monogamous, mating as an exclusive pair either for the season, such as the short-eared owl, or for life, such as the tawny owl. The courtship rituals of the owl varies from species to species, but usually involves calling. Special courtship flights, offers of food and mutual preening may also be involved.

Like most birds and reptiles, owls lack external genitalia, with both sexes instead possessing a cloaca. This is a urogenital opening – an orifice which serves as an opening for the excretion of both urine and feces, as well as serving reproductive purposes. During copulation, sperm are transferred via a ‘cloacal kiss’ – a brief contact of the cloacae, during which the sperm is transferred very quickly into the female reproductive tract. In some birds this can occur in less than half a second.

Although two ovaries are present during the embryonic development of the female bird, the adult usually only possesses a single functional ovary. This is connected to an oviduct, through which the eggs travel, slowly becoming calcified during their journey. Sperm cannot penetrate the calcified eggshell, so must travel up the oviduct to reach the eggs before this happens. Fertilization generally occurs in the infundibulum, a funnel-like cavity where the oviduct opens to the ovary, and each egg is fertilized individually as it is released. The number of eggs produced varies at both species and individual levels, ranging from single eggs to a dozen, although most species produce three or four.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/ffa71f10-56fb-4ed5-aae6-7f1139b88624.jpeg

anon6789, 7 days ago

I completely understand and agree. I’ve thought about offering to submit things on the group’s behalf, but that also would reveal my identity, so I won’t be doing that!

anon6789, 7 days ago

Not all heros wear capes…some wear plumicorns!

anon6789, 8 days ago

Yes, it’s very dark and compelling!

Sometimes it gets very challenging to pick with image to lead with when they’re all so good. I feel the need to find the one that will entice the most people to click and see the rest of the post. This one just seemed so tempting, and the look on the face is both inviting you in and challenging you to leave. It’s an expression I think is very fitting to the overall look of the Sooty, so even if this is the only pic someone took the time to look it, it still gives them a great impression of an owl they aren’t likely familiar with.

anon6789, 8 days ago

I’m happy to hear you are enjoying it here!

I’m sure you can choose to look pleasant and inviting whenever you please, though knowing when you need time alone is valuable too! 😉

anon6789, 8 days ago

Goth Owl is always one of my favs to revisit. I’d love to get to see some of these Australian owls in person.