Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Well, Owl Be - 10 Fascinating Facts About Owls

     No question about it, owls are one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet. We have learned a lot about their mysterious ways. Yet, it seems there is more to learn. For now, though, lets review 10 of the most fascinating facts about them:

1. All owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees in any direction. (Not 360 degrees as was commonly believed). 
 

2. Owl are silent flyers, allowing them to sneak up on their prey. 

3. Owls eyes are tubular and fixed. They must turn their heads to see in different directions. 

4. They are able to to make meals out of prey that are bigger than them, such as a fawn. 

5. The large Fish Owls actually do prey on fish, mostly salmon. 

6. Owls can swallow many of their prey whole. They then later regurgitate what is called 'pellets' which are the indigestible parts, such as fur and bones. 

7. Burrowing Owls nest in the ground and place dung around their entrance to entice their favorite snacks, dung beetles. 

8. Owls can be found anywhere in the world, except the Antarctica. 

9. Owls can make some of the scariest noises in the animal kingdom. Some of their calls seem to come straight out of a horror film. Listen to some examples here.
 

  10. The owls flattened face allows sounds to funnel to their ears; emphasizing their hearing ability about 10 times. 

What are favorite facts about owls? 
 


Owdle T Shirt
Owdle T Shirt by StasEnso
Browse Gray T-Shirts online at Zazzle.com

Barn Owl Close Up Pillow
Barn Owl Close Up Pillow by PattiJAdkins
Find more Owls Pillows at Zazzle




Pharaoh Eagle Owl Luggage Tag
Pharaoh Eagle Owl Luggage Tag by HumusInPita
Check out other Animal Luggage Tags at zazzle.com





Saturday, March 19, 2016

Owls in the News: Lawsuit Filed for California Spotted Owl

Owls have been struggling to survive for decades and the California Spotted Owl is no exception.   Found primarily in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, their numbers are being threatened by logging, urban development, and even from the more aggressive barred owls. Consequently, the Center for Biological Diversity, along with a few other groups, presented a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list this bird as endangered. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, they have not yet acted on this petition and, therefore, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the imperative need of this protection. According to the Center Biological Diversity,  the decision from the US Fish and Wildlife Service was due in January 2016.   

Spotted Owls are medium sized owls with large white spots on their chest and belly. They lack ear turfs and have with big brown eyes.  They have overall brown feathers, with the California subspecies' hue being between the lighter Northern Spotted and the darker Mexican Spotted.

The California Spotted Owls prefer to live in high elevation in mature dense forests. Their main prey are the flying squirrel and the dusky-footed woodrat.  


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Spotted Owls Baby Shower Invitation
Spotted Owls Baby Shower Invitation by origamiprints
Shop for Baby Invitations online at Zazzle.com



Spotted Owl Postcard
Spotted Owl Postcard by WildlifeAnimals
Create one-of-a-kind picture post cards at Zazzle










Friday, February 26, 2016

Lucky Owls

     With the next major holiday being St. Patrick's day, I thought this would be an appropriate time to explore how luck plays in the role of the symbolic meanings of owls.

St. Patrick's Day Owl Greeting Card
St. Patrick's Day Owl Greeting Card by cutencomfy
View more St patricks day Cards at zazzle.com

Let's start with Japan. In Japanese, the word for owl is 'fukurou', meaning protection and fortune. So it is not surprising that lucky owl charms are big in the Japanese culture. These charms are given as gifts for good luck with different colors having a specific purpose. As example: a white owl for happiness, a black owl for good health, a pink owl for love.

In some Native American cultures, the owl was viewed as protective spirits. As such, shamans used their feathers in their practice to ward off evil spirits.

At one time in Lorraine, France, it was believed that owls could help find husbands for spinsters.

An old Welsh belief was that if a pregnant women heard an owl, it meant her child would be blessed.

The owl was seen as a symbol of good fortune in ancient Greece.

In Mongolia, it was believed that an owl had saved Genghis Khan's life. A Barn owl was roosting in the bush he was hiding in and when his enemies started looking there, they saw the owl and left. Khan's enemies did not believed the owl would have still been there if Khan was.

Well, all this convinced me that we could all benefit from adding a few owls in our St. Patrick's Day celebration. Don't you agree? :)




St. Patty's Day Tie
St. Patty's Day Tie by just_owls
View St pattys day funny just owls Ties online at zazzle

Irish Owl with Shamrock Sticker
Irish Owl with Shamrock Sticker by mousearte
See other Owl Stickers at zazzle



DON`T DRINK AND FLY TEE SHIRTS
DON`T DRINK AND FLY TEE SHIRTS by IronicOwl
Create your own custom tshirts online at zazzle.com


Owl Wishing you a Happy St. Patty's Day Cake Picks
Owl Wishing you a Happy St. Patty's Day Cake Picks by DesignsbyDonnaSiggy
Browse Shamrock lucky four leaf clovers Cake Picks online at Zazzle.com

Whooo's Lucky St. Patrick's Day Owl T Shirts
Whooo's Lucky St. Patrick's Day Owl T Shirts by cutencomfy
Browse more Zazzlespd16 T-Shirts at Zazzle


St. Patrick’s Day Owl Tshirt
St. Patrick’s Day Owl Tshirt by Hoot_Hoot
Browse St patricks day T-Shirts online at Zazzle.com


St. Patrick's Day




















Monday, February 1, 2016

Owls Birthdays

    

PINK OWL YOUR BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE Poster
 Pink Owl Your Birthday Cupcake By BY CYRA


Ever wonder how long owls live? The answer depends on the species and circumstance. There are over 200 species of owls in the world and they all have different lifespans.  In the wild, a long-lived owl can, in general, live up to 20 years; whereas, a short-lived owl may live only a year. In captivity, though, owls live twice as long as their wild counterparts.

The longest lived owl is the Great Horned Owl that, in the wild, can live up to  20 - 25 years. In captivity, this bird can reach 30 years. One captive Great Horned owl lived up to the ripe old age of 34.

Another long lived owl is the Snowy Owl. This species, in general, live 10-15 years in the wild, and about 20, or a little more, in captivity.

Screech Owls live, on average in the wild, 10 years.  In captivity, they can have up to 20 birthdays.

The shortest lived owl is the Barn Owl. their average lifespan is 4 years.  In captivity, Barn Owls can have 10 -15 birthdays.

Overall, if an owl survives through its fledgling stage, every birthday is a true cause for celebration. 

...And with the current popularity of owls in the human world, owl themed birthday celebrations are all the rage, especially with kids.

Cute Modern Owl Birthday Party Invitations
Cute Modern Owl Birthday Party Invitations by celebrateitinvites
Check out other Kids birthday Invitations at zazzle.com

Super COOL Owl Birthday Party Postage
Super COOL Owl Birthday Party Postage by dlgray
View more Red white and blue Stamps at zazzle.com

Owl Cartoon Birthday Invitation Seal Sticker
Owl Cartoon Birthday Invitation Seal Sticker by raindwops
Look at other Owl cartoon Stickers at zazzle.com





party owl cake picks
party owl cake picks by poupoune
Browse another Cake Topper at Zazzle


Rainbow, owl, balloons Boy 3rd Birthday Cookies Jumbo Cookie
Rainbow, owl, balloons Boy 3rd Birthday Cookies Jumbo Cookie by IrinaFraser
See other Rainbow Premium Jumbo Shortbread Cookies at zazzle



Cute Owl Birthday Party Cake Pops
Cute Owl Birthday Party Cake Pops by dlgray
Look at Kids birthday party Cake Pops online at Zazzle.com









 






















Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Owl Astrology

When we think of the new year, we also think of the Chinese New Year and the astrological animal for that year. No, Chinese astrology do not include an owl, however, the owl is included in two other cultures: the Native American Totem Animal and  India's Pancha Pakshi Shastra. 

In the Native American culture, it is believed that your astrological or totem animal chooses you at birth base on the character traits you will need to acquire or strengthen throughout your life. 

The owl is your totem animal if your birth date falls between  November 23 and December 21.  People with the owl totem are said to be easy going and adventure seeking. However, this also means they can be reckless and somewhat thoughtless at times, which can place them in rather sticky situations. Still, the owl person is a great listener and can be enthusiastic. They are very adaptable and can do well in any occupation, but they excel as artists and teachers. 

The owl serves to remind you to veer away from greed and excesses. 

The Pancha-Pakshi Sastra is the most popular astrology mythology in South India. Pancha means 5 and Pakshi means birds, thus, their astrology is represented by five birds, the owl being one of them. Unfortunately, in order to know your birth pakshi, you will need to know your birth star according to the Vedic Astrology and the Paksha of the moon at the time of your birth; not an easy task to do. 

Well, let's explore the owl Pakshi anyway.  It actually sounds similar to the Native American totem owl.  

Owl Pakshi people are said to be very ambitious with lots of confidence. They are energetic and sometimes need to calm down their enthusiasm. They also have short tempers that they need to learn to control. They are intelligent and make great students. 

What I find fasinating is that I, personally, don't precieve recklessness and adventure seeking associated with owls, yet here we have two totally different cultures that do and are similiar in their intrepetations. What do you think? Let me know in the comment area below.