The ABCs of Birds - O -

[Dumpsterkitty]

...and an I can haz cheezburger perfect for today  



...though I'm not sure what kind of owl it is...

Ei

saw whet owl <<<<< might be spelled wrong but that is what my avatar is.

no pictures but I remember the first time I saw a great horned owl out in the wild good thing no one else was on the road cause I slammed on the brakes and went OMG! one of the biggest birds I have ever seen that close up except for my TV's

Does look like a saw whet-thanks! 

I had a GHO fly in front of my car on the way to work at 0:dark:30 once...scared the bejeebers out of me!  HUGE!

Ei

[anneintoronto]

Oriental Honey-buzzard

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Honey_Buzzard

Wow, Annette -- I've never heard of this buzzard!  And a handsome bird it is, too! 

Thanks for the education!

Anne in Toronto

[anneintoronto]

O is for: My One and Only:

Sorry, he's involved, he has to be.

Don't be sorry, Donna!  He sure does have to be!!

Anne in Toronto

[anneintoronto]

...and an I can haz cheezburger perfect for today  



...though I'm not sure what kind of owl it is...

Ei

saw whet owl <<<<< might be spelled wrong but that is what my avatar is.

no pictures but I remember the first time I saw a great horned owl out in the wild good thing no one else was on the road cause I slammed on the brakes and went OMG! one of the biggest birds I have ever seen that close up except for my TV's

Looks like that little sawhet owl just saw inside Dr. "Hoo's" Tardis and is astounded by its size!!!! 
Anne in Toronto

[anneintoronto]

O is for Spotted Eagle Owl

The Spotted Eagle-owl (Bubo africanus) is a medium-sized species of owl, one of the smallest of the Eagle owls. Its height is forty-five cm (18 inch) and its weight is from 480 to 850g (1 to 1.8 pounds). It has a 33cm (13 in) wingspan. The facial disk is off white to pale ochre and the eyes are yellow. It has prominent ear tufts, and the upper body is dusky brown, the lower parts off-white with brown bars. (Wikipedia)



This is Teeny from the Pot Plant Owl in Johannesburg, SA.  Teeny was very ill and spent a few days in rehab, but is doing very well now.  All 3 young owls fledged successfully.

I discovered the three Spotted Eagle Owl fledglings just days before they launched into their new world.  I was really lucky!!  What an amazing trio, but Teeny captured my heart forever!!!

Anne in Toronto

[anneintoronto]

I got here EARLIER!  So picking Osprey!  We are in Florida and saw about 8 of them yesterday, hope to get some better pictures.  But til then this is one with bad lighting we got yesterday.

It is very visible, I can see what it looks like and what a grand bird!  And you saw 8 of them?  Wow!!!

Thanks for letting us see it, too!

Anne in Toronto

[anneintoronto]

Osprey

No, I do not have a good photograph of osprey.  I got so accustomed to seeing osprey nests on man-made platforms that I was genuinely surprised  to find this nest in a tree!  Somewhere in Northern California.

Gayle

I've only seen photos of them on platforms!  Thanks, Gayle, for reminding us that Nature often surprises us with alternatives, just when we don't expect it!!

Anne in Toronto

[Aafke]

For me the O is also for Oystercatcher

It's one of my favourite birds, really. He belongs in my top 10.
He looks so nice with his long orange bill and in Spring it is very nice to see little groups of birds together and moving in a fun way.

I have a short movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPLo5XlfYeY

greetings Aafke

[Bobbie Ireland]

I missed most of the Alphabet Game... can I still play? Ok, I will...

O is for Ring Ouzel.(Now there's one!)

Found on rocky slopes, it blends right in with the habitat - thus I only know two people who say they have seen one. I don't think there is any such thing. The RSPB, however, begs to differ. Here's the link... it does not mention Ireland but they do occur in the Wicklow Mountains. I remain to be convinced... in spite of tramping about in the pouring rain and being promised one. They lied.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/ringouzel/index.aspx

BirdWatch Ireland also believes in the Ring Ouzel.

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Thrushes/RingOuzel/tabid/1138/Default.aspx

[Dumpsterkitty]

I missed most of the Alphabet Game... can I still play? Ok, I will...

Of course you can still play!  Late entries are still welcome!  Ei

[dale]

what's great about these threads is that we can KEEP adding to them, whenever any one of us makes a great ornithological discovery (including the kind of discovery we make when we clean out some old folders on the computer)!

[Patti from Kentucky]

I missed most of the Alphabet Game... can I still play? Ok, I will...

I'm glad you didn't wait for an answer!  You have quite a bit of catching up to do...