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Hunchback Great Horned Owl
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Nov 14, 2018 10:15:17   #
littlebiddle Loc: Yakima Wa USA
 
First time I have ever had one hunch its back up like this! I have seen them fluff up to look bigger but not like this!


(Download)


(Download)

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Nov 14, 2018 10:20:48   #
saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee
 
Interesting shots for sure. The owl almost looks cat-like to me. Nice work.

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Nov 14, 2018 11:26:51   #
kpmac Loc: Ragley, La
 
Very nice.

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Nov 14, 2018 12:40:45   #
Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV
 
That's odd. I've never seen that either. Nice photos.

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Nov 14, 2018 15:55:05   #
UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT
 
Good capture!

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Nov 15, 2018 06:21:28   #
J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio
 
littlebiddle wrote:
First time I have ever had one hunch its back up like this! I have seen them fluff up to look bigger but not like this!


Excellent set.

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Nov 15, 2018 07:27:59   #
Carolina Wings Loc: Flew from North Carolina to Pennsylvania
 
littlebiddle wrote:
First time I have ever had one hunch its back up like this! I have seen them fluff up to look bigger but not like this!


Super shots Dave...but I've never seen one do that either!!

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Nov 15, 2018 09:43:36   #
Frisco Loc: San Francisco
 
I’ve never seen this before. Does anyone know what’s going on?

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Nov 15, 2018 10:01:17   #
littlebiddle Loc: Yakima Wa USA
 
Frisco wrote:
I’ve never seen this before. Does anyone know what’s going on?


I was told that I caught him in mid hoot with his tail in the up position!

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Nov 15, 2018 10:02:56   #
photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA
 
littlebiddle wrote:
First time I have ever had one hunch its back up like this! I have seen them fluff up to look bigger but not like this!


Fine capture Dave.

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Nov 15, 2018 10:12:27   #
Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast
 
littlebiddle wrote:
First time I have ever had one hunch its back up like this! I have seen them fluff up to look bigger but not like this!


Nice catch.....name Quasimodo?

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Nov 15, 2018 10:26:26   #
phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York
 

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Nov 15, 2018 11:02:21   #
Katydid Loc: Davis, CA
 
Great and unique shot!

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Nov 15, 2018 11:49:14   #
Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)
 
littlebiddle wrote:
First time I have ever had one hunch its back up like this! I have seen them fluff up to look bigger but not like this!


Not a “hunch-back”, but an eagle owl leaning foreward and delivering the “reefed tail” display. I have observed it only three times in GHOs in the wild, but during over 30 years of treating and rehabilitating several hundreds of raptors (including over 50 GHOs) I saw the display repeated several times by a few individual owls. My tentative (note: NOT definitive...) conclusion as to its significance was that it seemed to be delivered as a response to perceived menace when, for some reason, the owl was unable or disinclined to leave the area of the confrontation (as when confined for treatment/rehabilitation).
The incidents of observing the display in wild GHOs: a parent owl would perform the display during human visits to the nest for the purpose of blood sampling and oreo-pharyngeal swabbing of nestlings for rabies virus disease research purposes.
The display was often accompanied by bill-snapping, but not by vocalization. The performing adult seemed to be taking a break from more vigorous attacks on the nest invaders. Head, neck and shoulder protection was provided to the nest invaders!

I saw the same display delivered repeatedly by a captive eurasian eagle owl (same genus as the GHO (Bubo sp.) in a raptor display near BadWorishaven, Bavaria.

Dave

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Nov 15, 2018 12:00:17   #
crapshooter Loc: Fox, Alaska
 
It looks to me like it pulled both shoulders up

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