Pretty owls!

Owls are awesome, they are my favorite avian

I believe they are also my favorite as well.

You have been weighed, you have been measured.
--

That is one creepy stare.

Well, you can't fool owls!

He's eating my soul; but it's cool.

I mean, how could you say no. I mean...barn owl...can't look away from ruby eyes of judgment.

This is the rent they must pay to live in my barn :)

They don't pay rent for existing. That's just silly. They don't need me for that. Tyto Alba existed before barns ever did and I'm sure they'll be around long after there are no more barns anywhere in the world.

For using my entire hayloft, there happens to be a price. Every few months, they have to put up with a minute or two of my intrusion. They get their picture taken. I could just use the hayloft for the purpose it was built...storing hay, but constantly accessing the loft would surely drive them away. I've given up use of my barn so that these barn owls have safety and shelter. They've been in my barn almost 3 years now and they've dealt with my momentary presence in the hayloft perhaps four times--maybe five. They're still here and they're prospering.

This works out well for them and for myself.

Ya know, in Blade Runner, the owls were the first to go.

Cheery.

That and the one we deep fried tasted terrible.

Well, I hope that you don't remove any mice that are in your house, or shoo away any birds about to dump on your car, because you might be disturbing them. Those animals don't owe you anything, either.

This guy is letting wild animals live on his property, in a time when that is not often tolerated. He's keeping them cozy and housed, and they're providing him a service by removing vermin. It's a symbiotic relationship. If he'd like to go to HIS property and take pictures of the animals that are ABSOLUTELY NOT being kept there against their will, it's his right to do so. The owls are free to go at any time. And so are you.

The artist doesn't owe you anything, and he was far kinder to you than you deserved.

I think that your comments were the unwanted ones, and then you tried to make up for it later. That happens. But please don't try telling me that you're his friend when you aren't. Your comments were not expressed in a friendly manner, they were accusing. And now you're passive-aggressively trying to intimidate me, which absolutely will not work. There's no victory for you to claim. Learn from this and move on.

The point simply was that your initial comment was not appropriate, and hopefully that you'd think about what you might have said to someone who was kind enough to post these images.

I'm not bothering you on your own space, and I never will. Since I'm actually very close to aforementioned photographer, I simply chose to voice my opinion in a place I know I'm welcome. You are perfectly welcome to message/Skype me if you believe that I am hiding behind *anything*. But as you've said, this isn't an argument that needs to happen. And, as you've also said, I have a right to my opinions, and a right to state them here.

A friend to whom?

I think there saying, WHERE is are offerings of mice!??

wow, those eyes are stunning

May I kiss the judge? Just once, I swear. ^____^

There could be a price.
Perhaps...your eyes.

If he/she can wait a couple weeks I can give him/her a pair of shedded antlers instead. They aren't as tasty but make good perches.

Oooh. They do make lovely perches.

I'M FIRIN MAH LAZOR!!!!!!!!!!

*high pitched whine of charging capacitor banks*

o-o was it a good judgment?

Time will tell.

stupid judge owls <,< not givin answers up front

No. I would rather they lived in my barn.

Need more owls!

Eight isn't enough?

I need at least 12. And get online, you!

That is one heckuva case of red-eye.

Killer owls? Looks like the new terminator movie is going to be really low budget.

I just watched a Monster Quest episode about the mothman and there was a woman in the show trying to proove that mothman was nothing more than a barned owl, because owls have red eye shine.

This is a very nice and very rare treat. :D

It is a very special treat to see them in the flesh.
I feel blessed.

Barn owls scare me up close. I got footed by one once when I was volunteering at a raptor rehab place in college, and I've been close enough to hear then hiss.

Creepy shot, nice work.

You know that scene in Aliens 3 where Ripley has an alien hissing in her ear? I felt like I was having a similar experience a few months back when I poked my head up into the hayloft only to discover the brood was about 3 feet away from my ear. They made a way eerie hiss. Quite effective. I left :)

Super eerie! It's like nothing else I've heard. *shudder*

The Grand Inquisitor owl has judged me,
I fear his red eyes
and the persecution...I deserve.

Does this mean you're going to draw Grand Inquisitor Owl? :)

It could be so.

Fodder for the twisted mind that bears guilt and judgment. Penance for the sinner, torment for the unrighteous.

I now have ideas.

Cool detail. And I'm impressed by how much detail you got!

Its a good camera. Zillion mega pixels and a good zoom lens.
That owl is about 30 feet away.

the red eyes look cool XD

I got a nice good look at one of these owls once, I was outside with my dog and he came to rest in my pecan tree doing something that looked like a bird version of panting..

And have been found wanting...

... Mice.

Lol. Love the eyes!!

Polyphase Avatron

Awww they're so adora-JESUS FUCK!

nice set'a hooters ya got there bud ;)

Their beautiful and look so evil here XD

Not evil. Owls are beyond all that good and evil stuff and have their own meta-morality in a recursive yet open hyperboloid spacetime.
:)

It has been demonstrated by researchers that the hiss/scream of the barn owl affects the central nervous system of rodents so that the prey animals 'freeze' in place, i.e. they lose motor control, thus making them easy marks. Barn owls are frighteningly efficient hunters, thus they can support a brood of 4-8 young whereas most birds of prey only have 1-4 young per brood.

Plus, they are just scary. I was outside one night when suddenly a barn owl swooped down upon me, screaming that awful scream, and removed my hat from my head! I found the hat about 200 yards away, with serious rips in it. :o

That would certainly make me tremble.

I am very glad to have these barn owls in my barn. They are certainly impressive. I hadn't heard that about the vocalizations of barn owls. Pretty neat.

They are impressive hunters, and they are doing a number on the rodent population. Kudos to you for providing habitat for them. :>

Guilty or Innocent?
Innocent!
Feed them to the Sharkticons!

ok, this predators will look so scare and creepy but are fantastic