Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Bird at Farrel McWirther Park


What kinda bird is this?  A baby owl?   Hawk? 
"Spotted yesterday on the Perimeter Train next to the Arena entrance to Farrel McWirther Park"
 Source:  Farrel-McWhirter Park Farm Facebook Page
Who took this awsome picture?

 "I checked with my bird expert friend and it is a “recently fledged great horned owl”
  --Terry

Comment:  I'm not an ornithologist, but my guess is a juvenile Great Horned Owl. I've seen an adult in Westside Park before.  According to Wikipedia, we have the possibility of seeing both the Coastal Great Horned Owl, as well as the Northwestern Great Horned Owl.
   --Douglas Burchard Rose Hill Neighborhood 

4 comments:

  1. I'm not an ornithologist, but my guess is a juvenile Great Horned Owl. I've seen an adult in Westside Park before. Here's a link to a similar picture (not necessarily local).

    According to Wikipedia, we have the possibility of seeing both the Coastal Great Horned Owl, as well as the Northwestern Great Horned Owl.

    Douglas Burchard
    Rose Hill Neighborhood

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have seen these amazing creatures many times over the years, both full grown and juvenile, in the woods near where the bike jumps are located. I hope they won't be affected by the development of the sight.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Recently our family was on the trails at Farrel-McWhirter. A bird with a large wingspan caught our attention and we marvelled as we stood still on the trail observing an adult Great-Horned Owl high above in the trees. A few minutes later, while standing in the same spot, hubby saw some movement out of the corner of his eye. Just a few feet away from us was an owlet that appeared at the base of a tree trunk. We were in awe as this downy-fur creature just stood there staring straight at us. What a rare experience! (Unfortunately we didn't have our camera.) We went the next evening and saw an adult GHO again, but the owlet was not in sight.
    BTW, if you've never dissected an owl pellet, I highly recommend it. Our family recently had that educational experience. Search Owl Brand Discovery Kits--they're here in the Northwest and it's very inexpensive.
    One more comment...I've noticed that some people are not obeying F-M's leash law. Please keep your dog on a leash when venturing in the Park.
    --GardenMom

    ReplyDelete
  4. Garden-Mom, That's a great story! I've never seen an owlet! Thanks for sharing! I remember picking apart an owl pellet when I was on an elementary field trip. Lots of bones!

    If you every luck into a picture of the owlet, please send on!!! Thx!

    ReplyDelete

COMMENT HERE - COMMENTS ARE MODERATED