From Dick Cannings

Yesterday I was checking some nest boxes put up about 25 years ago and was happy to find some of the boxes still intact--and one had a Northern Saw-whet Owl sitting on her eggs!

From Derek Yeo

Buffy Fish Owl @ Pasir Ris Park - This is the first time I have shot the Buffy looking like this in flight. Quite unique looking and I guess the backlight makes it even more unique

From Jen Marie

"Yesterday and tomorrow cross and mix on the skyline. The two are lost in a purple haze. One forgets, one waits." - Carl Sandburg

Here, a barred owl soaks up the last bit of purple hue from the sunset while beginning to hunt for the night. - in Ohio.

From Hoo's Woods

Here's a cuteness overload for your day!

When this baby Great Horned Owl arrived two weeks ago, he was about the size of the smallest "bird buddy" next to him. In that short time, he has already doubled in size and will soon be standing as tall as the larger stuffed owl beside him.

Despite his rough start, he is expected to make a full recovery and will be rehomed with other wild owls. By around 7 weeks of age, owls reach their full size, but it takes several more months of learning from adult birds to develop the hunting and survival skills they need to thrive on their own.

These stuffed "bird buddies" may look simple, but they can play a role in providing comfort while allowing us to maintain a safe, wild distance.

If you come across what appears to be orphaned wildlife, please contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before intervening. Proper assessment and care can make all the difference.

From California Raptor Center

The CRC is welcoming Raptor Baby Season!

Our center received a fledgling Western Screech Owl on March 14th. The baby was found on the ground with its eyes closed in Sacramento. It did not move when approached with a catch towel, and only opened its two eyes. The fledgling was taken to the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital, and then transferred to the California Raptor Center. An examination was done where a small abrasion on the head was found and there was soiling on feathers of the head and back. On the 15th, a CRC volunteer went to the fledgling's rescue location to search for a nest or parents, but neither was found.

The fledgling will continue to receive expert care until it's ready for release back into the wild!

From Jan Pokluda

I've seen several Boreal Owls on social media lately, so I'll join the party too. I took this photo in a slightly creative way, shooting it perpendicular to the sky directly from the base of a beech tree, where this young curious creature peeked out at me. An observant viewer will surely notice a few flies crawling on the young owl's head. It's no secret that owls aren't exactly perfumed with shampoo. Their cavities are often full of animal carcasses, whose smell attracts all kinds of insects, which the owls occasionally feed on.

Lately, owls have been avoiding me, so I'm curious to see if any will wink at me from above again this year.

I would like to thank the renowned Lukáš Pich, nature cameraman, for inviting me to meet this magnificent creature, and I would also like to thank its discoverer and great owl enthusiast, Ivo Hertl.

Nikon Z6 + Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 pf vr + 2 x TC, July 14, 2023

From Misty O'Neil Epstein

Mr Great Horned owl trying to take a nap but the bee had other plans 😊 Too cute!

From Ali Alieslam

Mar 5, 2025

I have spent another 10 nights searching for majestic Omani Owl (Strix butleri) in the mountains of central Iran. This time, around the northern regions of famous city of Shiraz. As a strategy, i tried to search complete new locations to expand my understanding of the species extension range!

Observation took place in over 18 diffrent spots in nearly 10 main mountainous regions and result was to find 4 new birds in 3 locations. These included one active breeding pair close to their potential nesting site and two females in two different rock cliffs.

For almost three nights i witnessed one of the less-seen courtship behaviours of this hardly known species. Hooting of one individual Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) was heard nerby on the same valley of active Omani Owl pair site which suggest these two species can co-exist close to each other!

Despite the very cold temperature for such place (+ 3 to -4 C); birds were active. In one spot -where i found one individual female- the hooting of Eurasian eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) also heard following mid-night to very early morning.

From Jen Marie

Meet Apollo, a stunning Eurasian Eagle Owl from a past photography event I did at Raptor Hallow Sanctuary. He was hatched in captivity to be an ambassador for his wild counterparts.

Eurasian eagle-owls are one of the largest owls in the world, weighing up to 9 pounds and having a wingspan up to 6 feet. They combine fast and powerful flights with shallow wing beats and long, fast glides. They also soar on updrafts, similar to that of soaring hawks.

Update from this story from 3 weeks ago!

Jerry, now known as Rajah because they learned it was a girl, is almost ready for release. They grow so fast.

From Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation

They grow up so fast!

Rajah -- the Great Horned Owl nestling who was rescued in late February -- is absolutely thriving in Sampson's dedicated care, and has nearly tripled in weight (owl stuffie for comparison -- you can see the difference in the photos below from when she first came in compared to today).

Before long, Rajah will be at her full size (though she will still have her downy chick feathers for awhile), and will be able to begin the process of learning to fly.

A Western Burrowing Owl is shown near the Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas, February 10. Unlike most owls, Western Burrowing Owls are not exclusively nocturnal and are often active during the day.

From Las Vegas Sun

Walk among the dirt lots around Las Vegas and you might miss the tiny brownish-red birds with white spots peering out from small burrows in the ground.

The western burrowing owl can be found throughout states like Nevada and California, but habitat loss and other threats have driven significant population declines across the region, the National Audubon Society says.

The Clark County Commission voted unanimously last week to maintain protections for the owl under its Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. Under the protocols, developers must conduct preconstruction surveys and use passive relocation techniques, such as one-way doors, to move the owls away from project sites.

“(Burrowing owls are) relatively common, that’s the reason for the concern having been brought up,” said Kimberley Goodwin, principal environmental specialist for the Clark County Desert Conservation Program. “Every other group that was represented either expressed strong support to fairly neutral support for inclusion; nobody expressed desire to see the burrowing owl removed … as a proposed covered species from our application package.”

Western burrowing owls are small, active-by-day birds with a rounded head and bright yellow eyes that find homes in abandoned burrows previously dug by ground squirrels, badgers, skunks, tortoises and marmots, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Audubon Society notes that while various types of burrowing owls span from Florida to California and south into Mexico, their numbers have declined significantly, with recent global estimates placing the population at roughly 2 million to 3.5 million adult birds.

They typically live six to eight years, reaching less than 1 pound and feeding mainly on insects, spiders and sometimes small mammals, snakes, lizards, bats and earthworms.

Western burrowing owls are listed as a priority species by the Nevada Department of Wildlife and were identified as a Species of Great Conservation Need as a result of population declines.

Habitat loss from agricultural and land development along with reductions of burrowing mammal populations have resulted in a 30% to 50% population decrease of western burrowing owls across the region, the National Audubon Society said.

The burrowing owl isn’t listed as a protected species under the federal Endangered Species Act — the landmark 1973 law that shields threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants — but it does fall under the protections of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

That distinction matters. Goodwin explained that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has changed quite a bit over the past decade, especially when it comes to how “incidental take” is handled. Unlike the Endangered Species Act, which lets builders get permits for accidental harm to wildlife, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act doesn’t offer any kind of permitting option.

Last year, county commissioners formed a work group to review proposed avoidance and minimization measures for the plan. Approved in 2000, the conservation plan outlines ways to protect local species amid continued development.

The group met with local officials, utility companies and leaders from the homebuilding and commercial development industries. According to Goodwin, the group identified several measures that required clearer instructions, such as specific design guidelines or best management practices.

A representative of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, suggested that the burrowing owls be removed because their prevalence in the plan area could raise project costs by potentially causing delays. Some developers listed the uncertainty around future federal protections as another reason to remove them from the protected status, Goodwin said.

Most other members wanted to keep the western burrowing owl in the plan, arguing that doing so avoids the cost and delay of readding the species if its federal protection status changes.

If the federal government bans the accidental killing of the owls under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, developers would face the full cost of compliance, including project delays and potential fines.

Goodwin noted the western burrowing owl could eventually be listed under the Endangered Species Act due to population declines.

Without coverage under the county’s conservation plan, a federal listing would halt development until the plan is amended or developers obtain individual federal permits. Goodwin warned that amending the plan midstream could also expose the county to lawsuits.

Because the owls are common in the Las Vegas Valley, project delays and rising costs could squeeze developers whose land contains active nests. However, the work group found that keeping the protections offers more stability. The required surveys are considered modest compared with the risk of “listing disruptions” or legal uncertainty.

In most instances, owl surveys will be conducted alongside existing surveys for the threatened desert tortoise, Goodwin said. The county also believes being proactive will show the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that local conservation is working, potentially reducing the need for a formal federal listing.

Under the new protocols, a lead biologist will perform clearance surveys before construction begins. If birds are found and are not breeding, they will be relocated. If a nest is active, a 330-foot buffer will be established until the chicks have moved on from the nest. For nests within 165 feet of a site, the county will recommend visual screens to limit disturbances.

“It was a learning curve when the desert tortoise protections became a real important piece of the approvals ... and site exploration and preparation. We figured it out, and I think we’ll figure this out too,” Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said. “In reality, it isn’t worth having an unknown risk out there for anyone who is in business but in particular as we have a housing shortage and we have an affordability issue that we face right now, we don’t need to expose people to something that is really undefinable.”

From Pete Benway

Great Blue Herons and Great Horned Owl sharing nest sites. 03/22/2026