When owls eat, they don’t have the best table manners. Unless the animal they are eating is too big, they swallow it whole.
Unlike many other birds, owls (and herons, grebes, cormorants, and several other types) don’t have a crop where they store food before it goes into their stomach. The eaten “food” goes straight into the glandular stomach where enzymes and acids begin the digestion. From there, the “food” passes into the muscular stomach which mushes up the softer parts of the victim, leaving behind only the undigestible parts like the bones, fur, and teeth (or feathers if it was a bird that they ate).
Then hours after the edible parts are liquefied and have passed through, the owl throws up the leftovers. The official way of saying that in “bird study talk” is that it casts a pellet.
Here is a pellet that an owl left behind on top of an upturned aluminum skiff in our back yard.
I got an old pair of tweezers and took the pellet apart to see if I could find the bones.
If you click on the photo, you may be able to get a better look.
To the right of the larger long bones, you can see five tiny claws and below those, I have laid out the very thin long bones that I think might be rib bones.
One piece of fur was not matted together, and I thought it looked like it might have belonged to a rat. Also, I think the long bones are too big for a mouse.
Below the piece of fur at the top of the bone collection, are some of the vertebrae.
Some parts are missing, and they might have passed through the owl, or possibly been part of a second casting. Just guessing here.
I made sure to wash my hands and sterilize the area where I put the bones and fur. If the owl’s meal was a rodent, it might have been carrying some bacteria or viruses.
Some people may find this post gruesome, but I thought it was a fascinating part of nature that we don’t often see.
It’s herring time again. The seiners are taking turns setting their nets. Seagulls love it when the herring are seined. The fish mill around the ever tightening seine net looking for an escape, but hungry seagull mouths are waiting for them at the surface.
And for those who escape the net or those who are naively swimming around free, thinking that all is well, a surprise is waiting. These sea lions get their fill of herring in between having naps on these floating breakwaters.
Sometimes a nap after a big meal is just the thing.
Two Eurasian collared doves have come out of the woodwork to be lovey-dovey for Valentine’s Day.
It sure is lonely at the top.
Will you look at that!?
Oh no! It’s that dog again.
You stay down there!
Come on down here. We can play tag.
You just stay here by me, darlin’. I’ll take care of you. How about a little snack? I’m not afraid of that dog. I’ll find you something to eat. Make you forget about all your troubles.
Good! The doggone dog’s gone. The coast is clear for foraging.
That little bit of corn? That’s it? Don’t you think I’m worth more than that? You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to be my buddy.
Okay, what’s the trouble here? I see there are some ruffled feathers. Looks like someone’s head is hanging in shame. Let’s fix this up. Come on, you two. Kiss and make up. And remember she gets the kiss and he gets the makeup. Hahaha. Get it? Get it?
I’ll get you something bigger, darlin’. Be right back. And remember, I want you to be my Valentine. Is that a deal? Okay, that’s good then.
Good grief, she’s high maintenance. But I suppose she’s worth it. Life is such a fine balance. I’d better practice on this balance beam.
Have a happy Valentine’s Day on February the 14th and be happy every day after that too.
***** If you have spare time on your hands, why not visit my other blog, annelisplace.wordpress.com/
Do you remember Bambi asking, “Mother, what’s all that white stuff?” and she answered in such a soft voice, full of wonder, “Why … it’s … snow!”
Well, this morning I found myself saying, “Mother! What …?” etc.
It all happened overnight, and then it continued into the morning. My poor little birds!
The hummingbirds … where do they sleep on nights like this? At least they had a heated feeder this year. Last year I had to run out and exchange the frozen sugar water for liquid every 20 minutes or so. This year, I have one heated feeder, thanks to the thoughtful gift from a friend, and I can also put the not-heated feeders out there when the temperature stays above freezing. It works great!
The heated one is on the left, with the cord running from the outlet in the wall to the feeder.
For some reason the hummingbirds like sitting on the feeder penthouse.
Today it snowed for the second day in a row and just before it got too dark, a hummingbird came for one last drink. I took the video through the screened kitchen window as the light was fading. It’s not very sharp, but the hummer took a long last sip to last him for the night.
The rest of the birds have to find what food they can under the shelter of the eaves or the roof of a feeding station. I think they have a hard time in the snow, especially when the sun comes out and thaws huge portions that slide off branches, and threaten to bury them in the avalanche.
I’m always happy to see the snow because it looks so pretty, but I’m relieved when it thaws and the birds and little animals can breathe more easily again.
Do I dare to hope that this is the last of it for the winter?
I apologize for the background noise of dogs barking and garbage trucks backing up somewhere in the world outside my own little world.
wordsfromanneli 