FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Barn Owl

["David & Gloria Patterson" <dgpatterson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

About 2/1/05 neighbor Charles Simcox gave me a feather he found under a stand 
of White Pines between our houses.  He wondered what it was.
I thought owl or hawk, looked through field guides, but it didn't match... sent 
it to Kevin Calhoon, who thought it was a right wing secondary from a Barn Owl, 
which does match,- I hadn't considered Barn Owl.

Charles showed me where he found it, and we found 6 more, all similar and right 
wing.  He said he had picked up another 5 or so and discarded them.

The seven I have looked at are all cut off at the base, as with sharp scissors, 
not pulled out, no other feathers or down or blood. 

What happened?  We have a large Cooper's Hawk and some Great Horned Owls in the 
area, but it's hard to see how either one of them could have cut off a handful 
of feathers from one location and nothing else.  I suppose the Barn Owl could 
still fly with a dozen missing feathers on one wing.  

My own estimate is a Great Horned Owl's agression rather than a a Cooper Hawk's 
feeding.  Suggestions welcome.

David and Gloria Patterson
Houston Lane, Ooltewah, Chattanooga, Hamilton County
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