Owl pellets!

I went back to where I spotted the BARRED OWL (<=all my sightings), looking for owl pellets. Here it was Jan. 1st.

Owl digestion is interesting.

The first part is the stomach  (proventriculus), which produces enzymes, acids, and mucus that begin the process of digestion. 

The second part is the muscular stomach, called the ventriculus, or gizzard. It serves as a filter, holding back insolubles: bones, fur, teeth and feathers (more about this here).

I could vaguely recall the tree. I'm glad I did, as we had 7 cm snow overnight. They would be totally buried today.

Sure enough: three frozen pellets. One was frozen onto a stick where she'd regurgitated it out. 

I thawed them out, and took them apart with my large tweezers. FIVE little skulls! Owl has been busy. I should have let them dry, as they had a slight smell and I grossed out my grandies!


I visited the spot again today (Jan. 3), no sign of owl, but lots of snow!

Barred owl was back!

UPDATE: I went back the next day and found some owl pellets!

Weekly Meme #264

S/he has been a frequent flyer, but hasn't been around too much. [BARRED OWL <=all my sightings]

I'd heard the blue jays harassing our barred owl. My plan was to go out and grab the trailcam photos, and some kindling. The jays were off in the back 800, I didn't think I'd manage to spot the owl. Annabelle and I went down to the back 400 and spotted some white owl poop. Owl digestion is interesting. I searched and searched, but no pellets. (They cannot digest bones and fur.) I found some in April, 2017: Barred Owl Pellet.

Owl poop is white, called mute.

Back up to the house. As I passed the gulley, a crow, cawing loudly, captured my attention.
I was going to take off my sunglasses, and go back out to get the kindling cut up. Looking out the back door, I saw a flash of wing. I thought the crow had come back. We have a murder of three crows, who often pass by. I kept peering, and I clearly saw an owl hunting.


Boots on, non-slip cleats out. I thought I'd get the zoom lens, but I remembered it was in the car from our 'snowy owl' trip. Forget it.


Back outside, without a cat. I carefully sauntered along. Sure enough, there it was! There have been quite a few barred owls photographed in the day. I'm thinking they are becoming opportunistic hunters, hunting day and night.
These are photos snapped with the videocam.


I left it in peace, to find some food.
barred owl from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Walkies – last one of 2018

Farewell
All this beautiful snow melted in our above zero temperatures and rain in.
The male cardinal is ubiquitous.

On our lot #3 I had two bucks.

Frozen wetland! It's not entirely frozen.


On the frogpond, I noticed the coyote was slipping. Hooper came by, and did some sliding, too.



We went to the island in the wetland. You can see the water is so high. There was a hole, with water seeping out. The turkeys had walked by, perhaps taking a drink.


Hooper sort of followed me. Here he is on the mainland. I called and looked. Suddenly he had skootched around the island, to the far side.


The bridge I'd constructed for the crossing. Just about flooded.


Hooper took the easy way back to the mainland.


Then he came back to climb the tree beside the bridge.



The wetland has an important role is recycling water. It drains, eventually, from the frogpond and the surrounding areas, and into the lake, again.


Frozen, the wetland renews the water, recycles it, and it's a major transportation route for critters, like mice!


Nearer the house, you can see where three deer bedded down during the snowfall.


Farewell, 2018. Welcome 2019! I hope the new year brings all you can wish for. I don't do resolutions. These are things we all know we could do.

The top New Year's Resolutions heading into 2019, according to English Tweets: Exercise Reading Learn something new Healthy eating / diet Volunteering & charity

I had to recharge the iPad, but here is my sketch!