Found this freaky owl...

[Ohioan]

found this owl in the woods. It seemed to like getting its picture taken until I decided to get a close up. Word of advise, don't get too close to owls.

 

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[djm of PA]

very brave to get close to one of those, they tend to get upset pretty quick, but you now know that

 

[creeper71]

That is very odd for you to see a Owl in the daylight...

 

[Mantis212]

I think seeing an owl in the daylight is supposed to be bad luck

You should go rub a rabbits foot or something....

or you could do nothing...im pretty sure you'll be fine

 

[Michiganne]

Appears to be a Great-horned owl. Was it on the ground? Maybe it is a juvenile bird.

HH

 

[drplaztics]

I think you are very lucky to see this! What a rare sight. I do find it strange because it looks like it is on the
ground (where predators could find it).

 

[marinedad]

pretty sure it's illegal to have an owl in captivity, glad you decided against it.

 

[RGINN]

Looks like a great horned. Owls are birds of prey so they can handle themselves on the ground. We always considered them 'bad medicine'. They don't just hoot either, when two get together they make noises like you couldn't believe. Mostly, they sit around and make a grunting noise. Many years ago my grandpa, against everything he had been taught, found a baby great horned owl and decided to take it home cause it looked cute and he thought it was abandoned. A few feet and he noticed a shadow, and then the mother swooped down, dug in on his shoulder and knocked him on the ground. It did result in a very bad infection in his shoulder where the talons dug in. I'm modernized and don't believe in the old superstitions of the old folks, but I respect owls and don't mess with them.

 

[diggemall]

pretty sure it's illegal to have an owl in captivity, glad you decided against it.

To the best of my knowledge, there are only two ways to legally have a captive raptor: First is to get licensed as a "rehabilitator", in which case the bird better have been injured and Second is to get a falconers permit. Both require training / apprenticeships and (I believe) are federally regulated, not state (though I may be wrong there - its been years since I looked into it)

Diggem'

 

[Woodland Detectors]

We have many varieties of Owl species here.
Great pic!


Mythology and Folklore.

Boiled owl and owl eggs have been used for medications in Peru and, in English folklore, the owl egg was believed to cure alcoholism. A child given raw owl eggs was then protected from drunkenness throughout his life. In India owl broth was said to cure seizures and the meat used as an aphrodisiac. The Swahili of East Africa were not as sold on Owls for medical purposes. They believed that the owl made children ill.

Athena, the Greek mythological goddess of war and wisdom, chose the Little Owl as a protective symbol. It was believed the owl’s night vision was a magical inner light. The Little Owl adorned coins in the 5th and 2nd century BC and if an owl flew over Greek soldiers it was a sure sign of victory. The Athena Owl remains a symbol used often in today’s society.

In Roman antiquity the owl was not worshiped at all. In fact, it was their belief that an owl’s hoot brought death. It was said that an owl predicted the death of Julius Caesar, Agrippa, Commodus Aurelius and Augustus. Witches were believed to turn into owls. Ascalpus in Roman Mythology was turned into a Screech Owl by Hades, god of the underworld, as punishment for snitching on Persephone for eating a pomegranate.

The owl in some cultures is evil. He dances with witches, steals treasures, brings bad luck and is a symbol of the underworld. It’s said in Ireland that if an owl enters the house one must kill it before it can carry away the good luck.

The owl in other cultures is very helpful. He helps find husbands for old maids, determines the sex of an unborn child, and, in Belgium, he was the church’s choice for resident pest control.

Legends of the owl are quite amusing. In the Artic North a little girl who was turned into a bird was so scared she flew straight into a wall. It flattened her face and beak. Thus was borne the owl. 12th century English owls were not allowed out during the day because one stole a rose. Menominee (American Indian) owls were not smooth talkers and lost a talking contest to a rabbit who received his choice of day or night. The rabbit chose day so to the loser went the night. Polish owls are just too beautiful. If they come out during the day they are mobbed by other jealous birds.

Poor owls. They’ve endured many more bad raps than good throughout history. Probably the worse offended were the Transylvania owls who were chased off constantly by naked farmers protecting their crops. — And the owl isn’t even a vegetarian!

 

[RGINN]

Diggemall's pretty much right. My son has a falconer's permit, which allows him to capture hawks, keep them, and hunt with them. They have different levels which allow you to hunt with different birds. As far as I know, nobody uses owls to hunt with, but it would be pretty cool to sic a big hoot owl on somebody.

 

[Tnmountains]

Great picture. Sometimes they will act or seem disoreinted during daylight hours. Might be due to their bino sight being designed for nocturnal hunting. Owls are farsighted also and see best in low light long distance
I have had them land in tree stands with me cause my front rail looks like a good perch for hunting. I guess it is but if you ever see one land a foot from you its will scare you to death. You can feel the wind beneath their wings as they come in and brake.
Again nice shots, Thanks!

 

[packerbacker]

My son had a great horned owl perched on top of his 25-foot flagpole the other day and it was during daylight hours also. Didn't have my camera handy though.