Wild Bird Wednesday, Great Horned Owl

Since this is a busy time of year I am going to repeat some of my posts that most of you probably didn't see since they were posted before I joined the Wild Bird Wednesday meme.   This is from February of 2012 and it is still one of my favorite posts ... enjoy :)
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I am stepping back in time today. My skies have been full of raptors, Red Tail Hawks, Cooper's Hawks and even a group of first year eagles. It makes me yearn for the time I spent in the Raptor Rehab program. Our goal was not only to help the injured raptors (most of their injuries were from encounters with man or things man made that didn't fit in their natural environment), but to educate the public on the role of the raptor in nature. They are predators, killers of prey which makes them villains to many. But their roll is to cull the weak and sick from their prey species so that the species can endure. Nature is brutal, but it is brutality that makes sense. In man's world there  is  brutality without reason ...  One reason I turn to nature to sooth my soul. This series is a young male Great Horned Owl who was trained to the lure. He was used in flight programs so people could see the magnificence of their natural behavior ... and they are indeed magnificent. I am always open to questions or comments.



In flight toward lure (prey) ...



Make the "kill" ...

checking his surroundings ...



for other threats before addressing his prey ...



tearing at meat attached to lure ...



Once again checking his surroundings ...




On the ground they face their greatest vulnerability.  The disturbance and
scent of the prey can attract other predators.