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From New England Wildlife Center
This little Northern Saw-whet Owl was found on the side of a road in Marshfield, MA, unable to fly away.
Marshfield Animal Control brought him to our hospital and, upon examination, our veterinary team found trauma to his right eye. We suspect he may have been hit by a car, which is unfortunately a common injury for owls this time of year. Northern Saw-whet Owls are the smallest owl species here in New England, and as the weather gets colder some migrate in search of food and a more temperate winter habitat. That extra movement and body heat needed to keep warm requires a lot of calories, which means they may be hunting along busy roadways as they search for their next meal.
He's been stabilized, and we're hopeful that with some cage rest, supportive care and pain meds he's on the path to recovery. He's due for a recheck in the next couple of days, which will give us a better idea of how he's recuperating and whether his vision has been affected.
Northern Saw-whet Owls may be small, but they're skilled nighttime hunters. Unlike hawks and falcons, who primarily hunt during the day and rely heavily on their vision to spot prey, owls rely on their exceptional hearing to help them hunt in the dark.
Like other owls, Northern Saw-whet Owls rely on both sight and hearing to hunt, and their exceptional hearing helps them locate prey in the dark. Even owls with vision loss in one eye can usually adapt well enough to return to the wild. Ultimately, it depends on their individual injuries and whether they can successfully hunt and catch live prey.
Ocular injuries in birds of prey are not always visible from the outside so an ophthalmic exam is always conducted by our veterinary team as part of our initial exam. If you find an injured raptor its always best to have them fully examined. Thank you to Marshfield Animal Control for getting him to us for evaluation. We'll keep monitoring this little guy and keep you posted as we learn more!
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From Nir Omer
The face you get when you come back from the store and forgot the one thing you went there for.
Little Owl giving me the ultimate silent judgment during the very last light of the golden hour.
Tech Specs:
Date: October 20, 2026
Camera: Sony A1 Mark II
Lens: Sony 400-800mm (Shot at 400mm)
Settings: f/6.3 | 1/200s | ISO 12,800
Metering: Spot +1.7 EV
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From Harold Wilion
Things Are Looking Up
Kind of a weird night. These owls have been extremely unpredictable this year. Looking at my photos from last year, almost every night I could find an owl in one hole or another, and then after getting the hole shot, the challenge was to get some perch shots when one flew. I've been coming here for weeks now this year, often without even seeing an owl at all. And when I was lucky enough to get some shots, it was always on a perch, and I haven't seen one in a hole the entire fall. Finally, last night I was able to get a hole shot, but couldn't find her when she flew.
But what was really strange, in the twenty minutes after she popped up out of the hole, the entire time she kept gazing upward into the sky, not making for the kind of poses I really like. Out of that entire 20 minutes, there were maybe a total of 20 seconds where she wasn't fixated on the sky. Who knows, maybe she saw a hawk flying around earlier, or she was looking for her mate, I have no idea.
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From Dane D Ward
Male eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) after a tropical storm
Looking like a wet cat. This male perched in the same spot day after day during nesting season and after a heavy 2 day tropical storm I decided to go get a pic of him. He was not very happy
Dunnellon, Florida
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Did you know that many species of owls like to sit in the morning sun? Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls and Eastern Screech-Owls (and likely other species) do this. For screech-owls in winter, this also helps warm them up in the morning. It may also help convert the oils that they smear on their feathers from their uropygial (preen) gland into vitamin D, which is ingested the next time they preen. Here's Pierce the Barred Owl soaking up some sun this morning before work.
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From Nick Thompson
Rufous Owl and Owlet-nightjar from Hallorans Hill Conservation Park in Atherton. 21-09-2026
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Have you ever seen Great Horned Owl like this one handle a snake? Other than snakes, Great Horned Owls take prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, and skunks. They'll even attack porcupines! But this often ends with fatal results for both prey and predator.
A Great Horned Owlet peers forward while holding a snake in its bill.
📸 Judi Dressler/Audubon Photography Awards
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From Melissa Mancuso
The Pacific Screech-Owl is found in scrubby woodland forests along the Pacific slope. We found this one during our nighttime driving near Caño Negro. - in Los Chiles, Costa Rica.
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.today/post/62894476
Quite the experience for Richard Hogg. Great Grey Owl landing on his head
https://www.365daysofbirds.com/2026/11/03/great-gray-owl-hunting-platform-my-head/
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Pygmy Owl keeping an eye on some delicious grasshoppers. Vancouver Island
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From Billy Davidson
Who me?
You think little ol me is cute?
Awe.... You are too kind ❤️
Burrowing owl owlets are quite possibly our favorite little ones we spend time with all year.
Personalities for days.
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From Julie Jay
Mama and her baby, Western Screech Owl What a great morning I found them both out of the tree cavity and sitting together. This baby is so full of personality!
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From Marc Coady
Coming in to land
Yesterday, I decided to make another trip out to see the short-eared owls, and the effort paid off beautifully! I arrived in the early afternoon, and after about an hour of waiting, I was rewarded with a brief fly-by.
The owl flew in quite close to me and landed on a perch (a specific shot I've wanted to capture for quite a while) This photo was taken just before it landed on the perch. There is nothing quite like watching these incredible birds in action
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From WildCare
A glue trap almost robbed this Great Horned Owl of his ability to fly.
On October 4th, only 16 minutes after our Wildlife Hospital opened its doors for the day, we began our initial exam on this heartbreaking intake.
His feathers were in an alarming state: pieces of the glue trap were stuck to his abdomen, tail, and right wing, leaving them sticky, matted, and bent. Once Medical Staff ensured he was stable, they immediately set to work on the delicate process of freeing him.
While glue traps are non-toxic, they are incredibly cruel. Animals caught in the adhesive don't die instantly. Instead, they face days of slow suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and starvation. We are profoundly grateful to the caring neighbor who stepped in to rescue him before it was too late.
Under gentle sedation, our team gave the owl a specialized bath, carefully washing away the sticky residue with animal-safe solutions. X-rays confirmed that despite swollen tissue and misshapen feathers, no bones were broken and all feathers were intact.
Over the next few days, the owl's appetite, weight, and flight quality were closely monitored. Following one final cleaning session, his flight and body condition looked great, and he was deemed ready for release.
On October 9th, he flew free, back to the wild where he > belongs.
Please help us protect local wildlife by opting out of glue traps!
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From Rebecca Taylor
A lifer owl for me. I was so excited! Plus I haven't seen many owls with its unique, heavily-barred dark features.
Black-banded Owl
Brazil
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From Bonnie Ibister
These Barred Owls blend in so well.
I drove right by and had to turn around. Lucky he didnt fly away.
Let me know if you can find him.
Barkhamsted, CT
November 2026
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From Badger Run Wildlife Rehab
This Northern Saw-whet owl was admitted on Sunday morning.
No obvious fractures were found, but he definitely has head trauma. He was found in the road, so we assume he was hit by a car. We'll get X-rays later today. He was having some breathing issues at intake, so we also suspect air sac damage. Just to be safe he was put on supplemental oxygen and heat along with the standard anti-inflammatory pain meds we administer for head trauma.
The little guy is full grown and weighed in at a whopping 75 g (2.6oz)! This means he's likely a male given he's on the small end of the species' weight range. The pear next to him is for scale.
Our volunteer manning the helpline Saturday night had just silenced the Badger Run phone for the night at about 10:30pm. While brushing her teeth she saw the call come in and called the finders back. She told them how to properly overnight the bird and gave them instructions for bringing him in Sunday morning.
About the only time we don't answer our helpline is when we are asleep, in the shower, or at an appointment. Because of this, we routinely receive calls from all over Oregon when other rehabs are closed. We regularly find ourselves giving folks advice on what to do with an animal until their own rehab opens.
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From Paulette Donnellon
Owl on the left: "Are we supposed to be hiding or acting intimidating?"
Owl on the Right: "I'm doing both. You look like you just saw a ghost."
Burrowing Owls; Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR
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From Tony Mills
Female Morepork owl out in some tree ferns, its mate was 20m away in another tree fern. Not normally out during the day I was checking out for potential nesting sites and ran into them by chance, New Zealand, October the 9th, 2026.
Sony A1 ii, 600mm f4 lens, 1/30, f 4, Iso 1200
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From Barry Buttle
A series of photos i captured a couple of weeks ago of a Kestrel surprising a Barn Owl from behind and taking a vole it had caught, the Barn Owl looks at the Kestrel in disgust.
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From Izzy Edwards
The Boreal Owl in Western Washington will always be my holy grail bird. ❤️🔥 Multiple years, many nights going home with no documentation. Despite the photo strikeouts I always enjoy the attempts and love knowing they live in my home state.
Image taken with long exposure method, no flash photography. Light source not pointed directly on the bird (dilated pupils indicate these low light conditions for anyone concerned 👍)
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