Great Gray Owl
This Great Gray Owl was well hidden among the needles and cones of a Lodgepole Pine at the edge of forest as it scanned for rodents under snow in an adjacent open field. Despite the white stuff being about 30 cm (approx. one foot) deep, the owl was able to detect prey moving on the ground underneath thanks to excellent hearing enabled in part by the shape of the facial disk. And this was from up to some 100 metres (about 100 yards) away, and 10 metres (33 feet) up. The strikes on rodents such as voles were not always successful, but I did witness at least two made with pinpoint accuracy. These scenes unfolded northwest of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Great Gray Owl
This Great Gray Owl was well hidden among the needles and cones of a Lodgepole Pine at the edge of forest as it scanned for rodents under snow in an adjacent open field. Despite the white stuff being about 30 cm (approx. one foot) deep, the owl was able to detect prey moving on the ground underneath thanks to excellent hearing enabled in part by the shape of the facial disk. And this was from up to some 100 metres (about 100 yards) away, and 10 metres (33 feet) up. The strikes on rodents such as voles were not always successful, but I did witness at least two made with pinpoint accuracy. These scenes unfolded northwest of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.