Peek-a-boo

[BigRackLover]

Looks like Mr. Wiseguy was using my stand all summer long cause I found **** all over it.



He kept flying around me and giving me the evil eye from various angles ... he finally took off. I guess he figured it was not worth the trouble.

[hunt_and_fish]

Very cool. Don't see them very often. I believe that one is a female. If I remember correctly, the males are almost completely white.

[Don Meredith]

Looks like the 'pale form' of the Great Horned Owl. According to my field guide, this form is more usually found near the tundra at the edge of the boreal forest. By the position of the 'ears', he looks a bit upset with you.

[Grizzly Adams]

My thoughts are that it's just a young Great Horned, that hasn't fully developed adult plumage yet. Looks surprisingly like the sorry specimen, I had a friend mount for me once.
Grizz

[BigRackLover]

He's wing span was not all that large so I'd go along with your young theory. I of course, no almost nothing about Owls except they can really move their neck around

[hunt_and_fish]

Originally Posted by Don Meredith

Looks like the 'pale form' of the Great Horned Owl. According to my field guide, this form is more usually found near the tundra at the edge of the boreal forest. By the position of the 'ears', he looks a bit upset with you.

Yep - I stand corrected. I saw white and automatically thought snowy owl. Didn't even notice the ears until you mentioned them. I've never seen a great horned owl that light before. Very cool.

[BigRackLover]

I have a few other pics that I'll post later since owl identification is such a fun game on the fourm. Something I was unaware of.

[Don Meredith]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

My thoughts are that it's just a young Great Horned, that hasn't fully developed adult plumage yet. Looks surprisingly like the sorry specimen, I had a friend mount for me once.
Grizz

I thought that too, but then remembered young should have their adult plumage by now. That's when I went to the field guide and saw the illustration of the 'pale form' which fit perfectly with this owl. Also, I don't think the juvenile plumage is like this.

[winged1]

definately a great horned owl. For years my neighbour had brought home owls that where collected from the pheasant farm south of Saskatoon. They came in a wide variety of color phases including blue/silver to red to white to dark greys.

[deadeye]

Heres a great grey I found in 328 last Wed.

[jasonburrows]

I was sitting on a cutline early season and had the privelage of watching a couple great greys hunting the cutline togeather, one on each side of the cutline, they did an X pattern all the way down, one would fly at an angle across the line to the other side, sit and wait his turn, while he waited the otherone would fly across his line creating the X, then wait his turn, they went about 200 yards down the cutline then flew back and started over, coolest thing I ever seen.

[tth_12032]

nice great horned shot! this is the western taiga plumage. in my experience about 40% of the great horns in the Edmonton & north area are this pale plumage.

'hunt and fish' - for interests sake, if this were a snowy it would be in juvenile plumage not a female. the sexes are actually difficult to distinguish in owls and raptors. except for a few species, this is done only by wingspan size. the females are actually larger than the males! one reason I admire this group of birds

[Copidosoma]

That is a great shot. Lots of personality, peeking through the branches at you. Well done.

That great grey pic is pretty sweet too. Nice light. Too bad he's a bit obscured or it would have been perfect. Still very nice though.