Message Snowy Owl
by LeeAnn McLaneGoetz McLaneGoetzStudioLLCcom
Title
Message Snowy Owl
Artist
LeeAnn McLaneGoetz McLaneGoetzStudioLLCcom
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Seven Ponds Nature Center
Wildlife Recovery Association
Snowy Owls, like many other birds, swallow their small prey whole. Strong stomach juices digest the flesh, while the indigestible bones, teeth, fur, and feathers are compacted into oval pellets that the bird regurgitates 18 to 24 hours after feeding. Regurgitation often takes place at regular perches, where dozens of pellets may be found. Biologists frequently examine these pellets to determine the quantity and types of prey the birds have eaten. When large prey are eaten in small pieces, pellets will not be produced.
Hedwig
Harry Potter's owl Hedwig is a Snowy Owl. She's a female but, in the movie, the actors playing her are males. You can tell that the owl playing Hedwig in the photo is really a male because his plumage is so white--female Snowy Owls have dark markings. Females are also bigger and heavier, and so would be a little harder for human actors to handle. Claws that can kill a large duck through thick feathers can be pretty hard on human arms, too, even when the owl is just trying to balance itself.
Uploaded
October 30th, 2011
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Comments (7)
Kym Backland
LeeAnn, once again I am looking at all your photographs, and I am so impressed about the information you give about the animals, their traits, markings, behaviours, etc... you have such an interesting body of work..
LeeAnn McLane-Goetz
Snowy owls — majestic, 2-foot tall creatures normally seen in the Arctic tundra — are showing up all across lower Michigan this winter as an unusually large number of the birds have flown farther south in search of food.With their regal pose, piercing yellow eyes and fluffy, feathered legs, the owls are an unexpected winter attraction. The owls are showing up in places they aren't always seen, exciting birders and non-birders alike. They've been seen in many spots in lower Michigan, and some have made it as far as Texas and Hawaii. Scientists say the likely reason for the explosion is that the owls' chief food source, small animals called lemmings, was abundant last summer, allowing the adults to raise more young. Now, in search of food, young owls are heading farther south. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-29/snow-owls-rare-michigan/52872558/1
LeeAnn McLane-Goetz
Hedwig Harry Potter's owl Hedwig is a Snowy Owl. She's a female but, in the movie, the actors playing her are males. You can tell that the owl playing Hedwig in the photo is really a male because his plumage is so white--female Snowy Owls have dark markings. Females are also bigger and heavier, and so would be a little harder for human actors to handle. Claws that can kill a large duck through thick feathers can be pretty hard on human arms, too, even when the owl is just trying to balance itself.
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