March 24, 2013 - International Festival of Owls

The first weekend of March, I attended the International Festival of Owls in Houston, MN. One of the events was especially for photographers. We were able to photograph several education owls at the Houston Nature Center. All of these owls have some kind of injury which prevents them from being released back into the wild. This Barred Owl was one of the subjects. Barred Owls are common in Minnesota and the entire eastern half of the United States. They are medium-size owls; about 21” tall.

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Eastern Screech-Owls can be either red (like this one) or gray. These two variations are called color morphs but they are still the same species. These are very small owls, only 8½ inches tall. The sun was bright so this little owl wasn’t interested in opening its eyes very wide.

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We also had a gray Eastern Screech-Owl to photograph. True to their name, Eastern Screech-Owls are found over most of the eastern United States. However, their call is more like a whinny than a “screech.”

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The Great Horned Owl is the most widely distributed owl in North America. It can be found in all parts of the United States, most of Canada, and even into Mexico. At 22” tall, it is just slightly taller than a Barred Owl. However, it is twice as heavy (3.2 lbs. compared to 1.6 lbs.). Notice the characteristic white bib on this bird. I’m always impressed at the size of the Great Horned Owl’s talons.

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The last owl we photographed was this Short-eared Owl. Although not visible in the photo, these birds do have short feather tufts on the top of their heads. However, that’s not where the ears are located. The ear openings are within the facial disc. One ear opening is higher than the other which helps the owl precisely locate its prey.

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Here’s another photo of the Short-eared Owl. Something in the sky was catching its attention. I couldn’t see what it was but I don’t have the vision of an owl either.

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