Barred Owls And Pileated Woodpeckers

Here's a shout-out for the Howard Conservancy's blog, which has a short piece and pics on its recent adoption of an injured barred owl.

This owl broke its metacarpals (basically its finger tips) at the end of one of its wings. The bones died after the break and cannot heal as a result. Not fully flighted, the owl can fly short distances. The Conservancy will be using the owl in education programs for elementary schoolers, summer campers and the general public.

An earlier post focused on a pileated woodpecker sighting, who unlike Woody are typically shy and not easily observed. Pileated woodpeckers stay together in their territory all year long, and prefer to make their nests in large trees. This pair was interested in our suet cake feeder, but they normally feed on carpenter ants and wood boring beetles.