Subject: George the barred owl eats a robin
Date: May 7 17:49:54 2003
From: Rob Sandelin - floriferous at msn.com


This afternoon the robins were going absolutely ballistic, 5 birds, all
shrilling alarm calls nonstop. I went out back to investigate and as I came
into the forest edge where the hubbub was happening a feather floated down
close enough that I grabbed it. I looked up, and 12 feet above me was
George, the Barred owl, with a hunk of bloody meat in his talons. I did not
have my bins on but I found enough feathers to ID the victim as a fledgling
robin, as if all the robins screaming at the top of their voices didn't
tell me that already.

The Robins dived and dived and dived at George, no doubt calling him all
kinds of bad things in robin language. He just nibbled away at the gory mess
at his feet. I went in for my bins and after watching a few minutes of him
gobbling intestines I sort of lost interest (and my appetite for that
matter). Predation up close is not for the squeamish.

Rob Sandelin
South Snohomish County at the headwaters of Ricci Creek
Sky Valley Environments <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
Field skills training for student naturalists
Floriferous at msn.com


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