chapter 426

4/24/2016

Owl & Crows

predator competitors

It was like a scene from Hitchcock's "The Birds" thriller. Several kayak trips into the Ballston Creek Preserve yielded some very entertaining displays of birds behaving badly. Momma Great Horned Owl left her 2 young ones to fly a hundred yards away scouting for food. That was into crow country and they did not like it. A big racket of cawing, intimidating, dive bombing and clawing.

It's all ingrained instinct and survival for each species. The owl will eat a crow or other owls for that matter.

The Secret Life of Crows hour long video will tell you more than you need to know about crows but they are fascinating

Shooting on burst mode 13 shots per second, image stabilization from kayak bobbing in the wind and waves my point and shoot Canon is simply amazing. It shows way more than I could see or comprehend with the naked eye although I obviously had a sense of what what happening.

The crows have a great distain for the owls. They are born with that knowledge and they know how to gang up. A flock of crows is called a murder of crows. And when the murder makes an attack it is called mobbing. Appropriate.

Like Edgar Allen Poe's "Raven" the crow is a scary adversary. Caught this moment just before impact. Such fun capturing the scene.

This was crow territory the owl had ventured into. They were in major team defense mode. Yet  she was undeterred. The mothering instinct was just too great for her to be dissuaded. She had to stay close to her kids. Otherwise I guess she'd have moved to a less difficult area. Why were the crows so relentless? Not sure, just nature I guess.

Momma made a kill on a Mallard Duck during the time I took my camera down to adjust the settings. All of a sudden it was back it's hunting perch with the wing in it's mouth. Could see the telltale blue interior feathers on another photo. Owls are mighty predators with powerful beaks and claws.

You have to be quick on the shutter finger. The owl looks slow moving but it was fast and quiet. It covered the hundred yards quickly. By the time I turned on the camera and zoomed I was too late on the first couple of trips. The conflict was not over as far as the crows were concerned. They followed her all the way to the nest.

There is a spiritual meaning to shamans when they see owls and crows together or separate. They represent the yin and the yang, the seer of visible and the invisible. They show the way when uncertain choices are ahead.

Baby like duck too. Ready to jump right in there and have lunch. 

Coming back to the nest a little worse for wear the mother will persevere. I say mother because there is only one adult this year. Last year there were two. They mate for life so the male must have bit the dust and the Mom has to do everything now. I have come to more appreciate mothering and all mothers after watching these owls. It's just unbelievable how much dedication and self sacrifice they exhibit. I don't believe they think about it, they just do it.

The little ones will look in the direction of the crow attack when it happens. Not sure if they can see well yet, but at least they hear what's going on. 

A funny cute owl compilation video shows what adorable pets the little owls make.

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