[obol] A couple of Strix owls - ID question (Spotted vs. "Sparred")
- From: Hendrik Herlyn <hhactitis@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OBOL <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Midvalley Birding <birding@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 14:43:08 -0700
Hello folks,
While cruising the wet Coast Range woods of Southern Benton and Northern
Lane Counties this morning in search of fancy forest chickens, chanterelles
and other goodies, Oscar and I came upon two different Strix owls, about
5-6 miles apart.We got decent looks at the first bird, but only managed
sideways looks at the second, so I never got a full-on frontal view of the
belly pattern. I did manage a few mediocre photos (see link below). I would
very much appreciate the input of anyone who has experience with Strix
owls, especially separating true Spotted from "Sparred" Owls, regarding the
identification of these two birds:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5Bo7sj
The first three photos are of a putative Spotted Owl, seen in N. Lane Co.
Much of it looks good for Spotted to me, but the plumage looks rather
disheveled (probably wet), and I can't tell if I am only looking at wet
feathers on the flanks or if there is some actual streaking, which might
indicate some Barred Owl genes, making this a potential "Sparred" Owl
(shudder!).
The second bird was found about an hour later in Southern Benton Co. I
never got a better view than what the photo shows. The strong streaking on
the sides indicates Barred Owl, but I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.
Neither of the birds vocalized. They both flew in silently, obligingly
perched for us, and eventually took off again.
Any thoughts on these birds would be welcome. Regardless of what they turn
out to be, it was an amazing experience to see two of these beauties fly
through the forest in one morning!
Happy fall birding to all
Hendrik & Oscar
BTW, we did manage to find one Ruffed Grouse, and yes, we also came across
a few more chanterelles. :-)
--
__________________________
Hendrik G. Herlyn
Corvallis, OR
*"Nature is not a place to visit. It is home." -- Gary Snyder*
Other related posts:
- » [obol] A couple of Strix owls - ID question (Spotted vs. "Sparred") - Hendrik Herlyn
