I have the feeling that these photos were staged: that is, some luckless voles or mice were placed on the snow to lure the owls. Nevertheless, these slow motion shots of snowy owls, great gray owls, and hawk owls are magnificent (filmed by Andrew Manske at 500 frames per second). They can pick off a prey without missing a wingbeat.
Thursday owls: hunting
April 19, 2012 • 11:10 am
Owls always seem to me (on the surface) to be too fluffy and round to be aerodynamic enough to fly, but when I see them like this it is clear that they are perfectly honed killing machines.
‘s right. Don’t you forget it.
Eep.
Hang on, that’s too vole-like.
Growl, growl, woof?
I love the snowy owls feathered feet, makes it even more like a flying cat! The voles did not die in vain.
I was impressed that those mice seemed absolutely unaware of the owls, even when they were mere inches away. Such stealth!
Recently I saw a large hawk plummet straight down onto a flying pigeon. I could actually hear a “thok” when it hit (I was on a rooftop.) Do owls ever hunt that way?
‘Why it sucks to be a mouse’
What strikes me is how the compact silhouette of an owl belies their wingspan! Wow!