A Conversation for Alvin, the Eagle Owl
Owls always look as if they want to look into your soul
paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant Started conversation Dec 24, 2023
No wonder some people worry that the local owls are spying on them 
Owls always look as if they want to look into your soul
Caiman raptor elk - Inside big box, thinking. Posted Dec 27, 2023
That definitely is a knowing look.
I do wonder whether there is a falcon-owl hybrid species, just in order to make a pun in Dutch.
Valk-Uil = Falcon-Owl
Valkuil = Pitfall
It took my kids some time to figure out when I asked if they saw it.
Owls always look as if they want to look into your soul
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Dec 27, 2023
I love owls! 
This one's not native to the US - but there's a very famous Eagle Owl in New York City. Called Flaco.
About a year ago, Flaco escaped from the Central Park Zoo. Everybody cheered: he was hatched in captivity and they said the enclosure at the zoo was too small. He was 13 years old.
The zoo people feared Flaco couldn't survive in Central Park, but so far, he's thriving. Plenty of rats and pigeons to eat. Plenty of dedicated bird photographers to catalogue his every move.
Recently, he's been perching on a water tower and hooting all night - New York is delighted.
Unfortunately, he is the ONLY Eurasian Eagle Owl in the Americas (outside a zoo), and his search for a mate isn't going well.
Owls always look as if they want to look into your soul
Caiman raptor elk - Inside big box, thinking. Posted Dec 28, 2023
That is nice for the New Yorkers, but kind of sad for the owl. On the other hand, non-native breeding species can be invasive. We currently have trouble with red swamp crayfish in our rivers. They thrive because they have no natural enemies here.
Owls always look as if they want to look into your soul
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Dec 28, 2023
Y'all have crawdads? WHY do y'all have crawdads? I'll be some fool has been using them for bait.
Not all introduced species are invasive. Starlings are doing well here - in the 1890s some Shakespeare fans put 100 of them in Central Park. According to Cornell Labs, there are now 200 MILLION of them in North America. Pretty things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUb1fpQ92EA
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Owls always look as if they want to look into your soul
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