OWL FOND OF EVERYONE
October 9, 2011 7:56 PM   Subscribe

 
yes yes
posted by The Owls at 7:59 PM on October 9, 2011 [18 favorites]


Stoically cute, that owl.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 8:00 PM on October 9, 2011 [4 favorites]


D'awwwwwww!
posted by yellowbinder at 8:02 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Very very cool. But if a woke up to an owl standing on me holding a dead bat, I might have to go so far as to ban owls from my bedroom. I have a strict no dead bat in my bed policy.
posted by Ad hominem at 8:03 PM on October 9, 2011 [20 favorites]


I cracked up at the photos of the owl bringing his wife... um, "presents"... while she slept. Things you do not want to wake up to...
posted by Lexica at 8:04 PM on October 9, 2011 [4 favorites]


That cat looks just like my Lady cat!

Also, the photo of the owl standing on the sleeping woman, bat in its beak, made me count my blessings. Suddenly, a cat standing on my bladder at 5 am seems a-okay!
posted by rtha at 8:05 PM on October 9, 2011 [9 favorites]


"So, the owl was on my bed while I was asleep . . "
"Yes, it was so -"
"With a dead bat in its beak. A dead bat."
"Yes, because he loves you and -"
"And you went and got the CAMERA."
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:07 PM on October 9, 2011 [53 favorites]


Owl: Y U NO WANT DEAD BAT? U SLEEP?
Human: HHHNRRGH.
Other Human: *shutter click*
posted by Cold Lurkey at 8:11 PM on October 9, 2011 [65 favorites]


This is fantastic. Thanks for the find/share.
posted by curious nu at 8:12 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


The Owl And The Pussy Cat! ت
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 8:12 PM on October 9, 2011 [12 favorites]


I also love the owl tucked into his own little bed in the milk crate with that whadya want look. "I was tryna sleep heah, grab me a bat from the fridge willya"
posted by Ad hominem at 8:14 PM on October 9, 2011 [3 favorites]


So awesome. Thanks, The Whelk!
posted by tumid dahlia at 8:15 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


I would like to be cared for by an owl in my dotage.
posted by stargell at 8:16 PM on October 9, 2011 [36 favorites]


I like how his natural facial expression makes him look scowly even when he's being helpful. The owls are not what they seem.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:17 PM on October 9, 2011 [24 favorites]


He seems to be trying to teach that one stupid cat how to be a cat.

"...and then you put the dead rat on the pillow like so..."
posted by Sys Rq at 8:18 PM on October 9, 2011 [4 favorites]


there was just an Askme the other day asking about animals that care for the sick
posted by edgeways at 8:21 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


and talk about paying it forward
posted by edgeways at 8:21 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


Turkey's on the other hand..
posted by stbalbach at 8:23 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


I like how his natural facial expression makes him look scowly even when he's being helpful. The owls are not what they seem.


I KNOW! He's all "I'm gonna help you, and you're gonna like it, goddammit."
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 8:23 PM on October 9, 2011 [6 favorites]


I like how his natural facial expression makes him look scowly even when he's being helpful. The owls are not what they seem.

Why do you think they call it a scowl?
posted by villanelles at dawn at 8:24 PM on October 9, 2011 [25 favorites]


Now this is a cool post.
posted by 1000monkeys at 8:25 PM on October 9, 2011


What a hoot!
posted by obiwanwasabi at 8:26 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


THIS IS THE BEST THING EVAR.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 8:30 PM on October 9, 2011 [5 favorites]


Beautiful and somehow humbling.
posted by jwhite1979 at 8:32 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'm willing to believe that, given these two care for injured birds of prey, waking up to an owl proffering a dead rat, bat, mouse, worm, what-have-you is just not going to peg the wife's freakometer.

People who tend raptors are, in my experience, made of tougher stuff than most.
posted by IAmBroom at 8:32 PM on October 9, 2011 [6 favorites]


"Want a rat? Hey! Hey! Want a rat? How 'bout you? Want a rat? I got you a rat. HEY. Rat? I got you one."
posted by katillathehun at 8:33 PM on October 9, 2011 [37 favorites]


This is the best animal thing on the Web I've seen all year.
posted by mykescipark at 8:42 PM on October 9, 2011 [6 favorites]


woot!
posted by PinkMoose at 8:43 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


This is amazing. Male owls are known to do this for their young, so I guess he's basically adopted this brood?
posted by Gilbert at 8:46 PM on October 9, 2011 [3 favorites]


The only thing better than looking at those cute pictures is reading posts of people putting words into that owl's mouth.

"Want a rat? Hey! Hey! Want a rat? How 'bout you? Want a rat? I got you a rat. HEY. Rat? I got you one." Katillathehun

I KNOW! He's all "I'm gonna help you, and you're gonna like it, goddammit." Rev Myung

Owl: Y U NO WANT DEAD BAT? U SLEEP?
Human: HHHNRRGH.
Other Human: *shutter click* Cold Lurkey
posted by zagyzebra at 8:55 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


Owls are cool, even though I disagree with their rabbit-murdering policy.
posted by drjimmy11 at 9:01 PM on October 9, 2011 [3 favorites]


so one time we found an owl the backyard. we had it in the house for about a day and then we gave it to animal control, who checked it out and we're pretty sure it came back to the yard after they freed it.

a really cool animal. i was tripped out by the nictitating membrane, basically the eyelid inside the eyelid which is like built in safety glasses.
posted by ninjew at 9:03 PM on October 9, 2011


All I can say is - WANT! (minus dead bat while I'm sleeping)
posted by latch24 at 9:05 PM on October 9, 2011


people putting words into that owl's mouth.
Well, someone's gotta narrate, because the owl is obviously too polite to talk with his mouth full.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 9:08 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


Oh, I'm sure this would have gone over very well if that owl had presented a dead bat to a groggily-awaking James Thurber. If it had been a pigeon, he wouldn't have had any issues.
posted by JHarris at 9:09 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


katillathehun: "Want a rat? Hey! Hey! Want a rat? How 'bout you? Want a rat? I got you a rat. HEY. Rat? I got you one."

Onna stick!
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:11 PM on October 9, 2011 [6 favorites]


Back when I was in high school I was driving home at dusk and I saw an owl swoop down into the road and bounce off of the windshield of the car in front of me. I pulled off the road and ran back to grab this hackey-sack owl to carry it out of the road; it wasn't moving, I thought it was dead.

I carried it off the road and laid it down on the shoulder. It was a beautiful animal, a big barred owl. I kneeled next to it on the side of the road for a minute admiring it, then its eyes opened. I though, joy-alive this beautiful creature is not dead. Those giant, piercing, glassy eyes rolled for a moment in that owl skull, then they focused on me. It should have been a wonderful moment but that owl was not happy to see me looking back at it.

That's when that groggy owl brain engaged its two-inch talons.

It clamped down hard, catching the meat on my left hand with one foot and the side of my right knee with the other. It flapped its wings a couple times to stand itself back upright while still anchored into my hand and thigh, then it detached from me and flew off into the woods on the side of the road, dangerously low and fast and out of sight.

So that's why I have a bunch of half-moon shaped scars on my left hand and right knee, why I love owls, and why at 0:56 in this video my testicles retracted back into my body cavity.
posted by peeedro at 9:13 PM on October 9, 2011 [31 favorites]


Onna stick!

C.M.O.T Owl.
posted by The Whelk at 9:25 PM on October 9, 2011 [5 favorites]


...
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon.
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand.
They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

posted by splatta at 9:29 PM on October 9, 2011 [11 favorites]


It's the Wolery!
posted by trip and a half at 9:30 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Having been awakened by a live bat flying around my bedroom on several occasions, I'd say a dead bat would be a nice change of pace.
posted by LordSludge at 9:57 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


Harvey Mandel, Ode to the Owl.
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 10:21 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh adorabowl. This is the sweetest thing I have seen all week.

And no, I couldn't help myself.
posted by clavier at 10:33 PM on October 9, 2011


Funnily enough I remember, as a kid in South Africa, my parents taking me to a Rhodes University student production of 'The Owl and the Pussycat'.
I'll send this to my dad and see if he remembers - he still lives on a farm there.
posted by Flashman at 10:38 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


OH LOOKIT THE BUTTERS. I love owls & crows & cats. This post is a trifecta!
posted by wowbobwow at 10:39 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Aw. I want The Caring Owl and The Giving Tree to become friends.
posted by meese at 10:41 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


When he figures out the dining habits of humans, he'll just put the bats directly into the crockpot.
posted by Sallyfur at 10:54 PM on October 9, 2011 [5 favorites]


No Shit!?!

I've played this game before: Fat Cat and Owl
posted by Chekhovian at 10:56 PM on October 9, 2011


Aw. I want The Caring Owl and The Giving Tree to become friends.

Once, there was a tree
And she loved a little owl
And every day the owl would come
And he would gather rodents
And make them into dead rodents and play chef of the forest.
He would fly up her trunk
And perch on her branches
And eat rodents
And they would play look-at-the-rodent
And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade.
And the owl loved the tree very much
And kept bringing her rodents
Sometimes waking her up with his latest kill.
He didn't understand why she never ate the rodents
But he kept bringing them anyway.

And the tree was happy.
posted by katillathehun at 11:00 PM on October 9, 2011 [10 favorites]


That owl is all due, wassup.
posted by jimmythefish at 11:15 PM on October 9, 2011


That was lovely, thank you.
posted by smoke at 11:16 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


(dude...argh)

I love how animals think that everyone should be totally happy with a dead animal as a gift. As a kid we rented a house with a cat (Snap - best cat name ever) who would bring all sorts of things into the house and expect you to be jazzed about it. Here's a snake. A bird. A junebug. IT'S AWESOME.

I would not like a bat given to me at night but I'll bet the owl is thinking HOLY SHIT WOMAN DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO CATCH A BAT. IT'S A BAT. IT'S A MOUSE BUT IT FLIES AND HAS FUCKING RADAR. RADAR FOR FUCK'S SAKE. ICEMAN WISHES HE WERE ME.

Bringing a bat to you is pretty hot in owl terms.
posted by jimmythefish at 11:22 PM on October 9, 2011 [51 favorites]


We had a Western Screech Owlet (ID by rtha) show up in our backyard recently in broad daylight. Oh, the cat was SO EXCITED. Owlet hung around for about 40 minutes. Then, I assume, he must have flown away while I was on the phone with the Humane Society asking what to do if he kept sitting there past dark, what with the neighbourhood outdoor cats that sometimes come strolling through our backyard.

Thanks for the post, Whelk!
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 12:19 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


We all need a Caring Owl in our lives, although the bat and mouse offerings might be a bit...much.
posted by so much modern time at 12:23 AM on October 10, 2011


I would love that owl. I would not attempt to snorgle the owl because of the intense pain said owl could inflict on me but I would still consider it the best of all the owls. Cause that owl is the best of all the owls. It's kind, it helps and IT CAN CATCH BATS. They fly like they're drunk, you can't predict their flight pattern, this owl is like super psychic owl.
posted by Salmonberry at 12:43 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


(ands one cat)

Oh my goshes!
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:10 AM on October 10, 2011


The owl's only expression is like "Yeah that's right, what of it?"

I kind of enjoy how they didn't give the owl a name. That is a temptation I would not be able to resist. But it shows you their commitment to not attempting to train or domesticate wild animals and just let them be. Even if what they want to be is hanging around you.
posted by bleep at 2:13 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


I think I would have named the owl "Dr. Beverly Crusher". It works on so many levels!
posted by bleep at 2:14 AM on October 10, 2011 [4 favorites]


Maybe "Mr. Worf, the owl".

Yes I have been watching TNG on Netflix.
posted by bleep at 2:15 AM on October 10, 2011


Nice one!
posted by TrinsicWS at 2:34 AM on October 10, 2011


Oh, there is a lot of squee in this.
posted by LMGM at 3:24 AM on October 10, 2011


That's awesome. One of our cats has regularly brought me live bats in the middle of the night. It's very disconcerting to wake up to the sound of flap-flap-flap-prrrt right next to one's head in the middle of the night. At least the owl was bringing DEAD presents.
posted by leslies at 4:32 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Owls are really amazing creatures.
posted by spitbull at 5:13 AM on October 10, 2011


I think they should name it Florence.

Also, what if she/he starts caring for injured rats/snakes/mice?
posted by yoga at 5:57 AM on October 10, 2011


I like that the owl adopted an injured owl and first brought him to the rehabilitator to be taken care of and now brings him dead rats. Owls are awesome. (Raptors in general are my exceptions to "birds are creepy and probably aliens with the destruction of humanity in mind". Not that raptors aren't also probably aliens, but they're cool aliens.)
posted by jeather at 5:59 AM on October 10, 2011


What, no love for the poor rodents?

As a confirmed mouse-lover, I do have to take a deep breath when viewing some of the pics. But I also love birds, and damn, owls are GORGEOUS and awe-inspiring.

This is great stuff, has elevated my morning considerably. Thank you, Whelk.
posted by kinnakeet at 6:02 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Why does this dude have so many injured owls?
posted by snofoam at 6:12 AM on October 10, 2011


Why does this dude have so many injured owls?
Wildlife rehabilitation.
posted by zamboni at 6:41 AM on October 10, 2011


This post is full of yay.
posted by Gator at 7:09 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Awesome, thanks for sharing.
posted by New England Cultist at 7:54 AM on October 10, 2011


ORLY!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:01 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Owl: Eat it! I said eat it! You know you want it!
posted by rich at 8:51 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


...owl be loving you forever?
posted by trunk muffins at 8:52 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


As a confirmed mouse-lover, I do have to take a deep breath when viewing some of the pics.

I love fuzzy little critters too, but owls gotta owl.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:53 AM on October 10, 2011 [10 favorites]


I think it speaks volumes about me having too many animals in my life that my first reaction to seeing the owl trying to feed the bat to the sleeping wife was "Aww, now that's a good bird..." not "Holy crap, a wild animal is trying to feed another wild animal to that unconscious woman!".

Also; An injured crow that he made friends with for about 3 days until the crow got better and started making a terrible nuisance of himself.

I would love to know what the crow was doing to be considered "a nuisance" in a household where birds bring prey to all the other pets in the room is considered normal.

It must have been hugely obnoxious and therefore probably hilarious (if I know crows...)
posted by quin at 9:10 AM on October 10, 2011 [12 favorites]


"Want a rat? Hey! Hey! Want a rat? How 'bout you? Want a rat? I got you a rat. HEY. Rat? I got you one."

When you're an owl every problem looks like a dead rat shortage.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 9:18 AM on October 10, 2011 [25 favorites]


What a superb owl. I would like to throw him a Superb Owl party and possibly give him a superb owl ring. (On the other hand, the dead presents in bed make me wonder what the Owl Mafia do. "You've disappointed us...tomorrow you WON'T find a dead mouse's head in your bed!" "Noooohoot!")
posted by ilana at 9:56 AM on October 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


an owl lives in the palm tree outside my house.
I hope nobody else has endured the unique experience of stepping in an owl pellet barefoot.
posted by changeling at 10:17 AM on October 10, 2011


I spent this weekend building a nest box for barn owls, which I'm going to mount on my house once it stops raining, in hopes that a nice owl (family) will move in and start reducing the neighborhood rat population.

Until now I was just hoping that a barn owl would happen by and decide to move in to the nest box. But now I'm hoping that a barn owl will happen by and decide to move in to the nest box and then ask to come inside periodically, because how awesome would that be??
posted by mudpuppie at 10:18 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


On the one hand, cool. On the other hand, anybody hanging dead critters in my face while I'm trying to sleep is going to need another round of rehabilitation. Unless they cook it up first and bring me coffee. And even then, it better not be early. You kill it, you clean it, you cook it. House rules. And don't fucking wake me up early.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:20 AM on October 10, 2011


Directly contradicts the work done by Matt Braunger on the subject.

Awesome post!
posted by lumpenprole at 10:49 AM on October 10, 2011


I'd never seen an owl in the wild...until last week, in front of my downtown high rise there was a huge one sitting in a tree, as he had been for the previous day (I was informed). I guess the squirrel population has dropped now - he (or she) has moved on.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 10:51 AM on October 10, 2011


OMG I love it! I love kitties, and this post had a kitty but also an owl, and owls are kinda like kitties of the bird world and now i love owls and this post has turned me into an 8 year old girl.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 11:44 AM on October 10, 2011 [6 favorites]


But now I'm hoping that a barn owl will happen by and decide to move in to the nest box and then ask to come inside periodically, because how awesome would that be??

Not to mention bringing snacks.
posted by small_ruminant at 12:20 PM on October 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


The Owl And The Pussy Cat! ت

Are friends.
posted by homunculus at 12:34 PM on October 10, 2011


In a shared house I lived in many years ago I had a cat who was always closed in my room (because of dogs in the house), but could go outside through the window at the head of my bed. The bed was pushed into a perfect bed-sized nook which meant that when the cat went in and out, he walked across my pillow. One morning after waking up, I was sitting at my desk and my feet brushed something furry. I jumped about a foot in the air and looked under the desk - there was a dead gray squirrel down there. I was horrified but even more so when I realized that the cat had dragged it across my pillow while I slept.
posted by bendy at 1:17 PM on October 10, 2011


owls are kinda like kitties of the bird world

I went to a reading of this book, told from a cat's perspective. It had a very nice bit in which a cat observed an owl making a kill. She felt professional admiration.
posted by Zed at 1:34 PM on October 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


Not to mention bringing snacks.

I'd be fine with that, provided that the owl cleaned up after itself.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:35 PM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Tidy little pellets= tidier than cats.
posted by small_ruminant at 1:39 PM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


In the third image, the owl closes its eyes graciously, as if to say, "Oh, don't mention it. My pleasure entirely."
posted by Morrigan at 4:35 PM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


I hope nobody else has endured the unique experience of stepping in an owl pellet barefoot.

The little Saw-whet owl that lives in my trees likes to leave decapitated mouse corpses under my window sills and air conditioner. Much worse than an owl pellet for bare foot discovery.
posted by the_artificer at 5:09 PM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Honey, it's evening, time to get up. I brought you a bat for breakfast. It's fresh!
posted by gamera at 6:28 PM on October 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


Okay, so the question is, is this owl more like X the Owl from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, or Owl from Winnie-the-Pooh? Although both are kind of longwinded.
posted by IndigoRain at 2:19 AM on October 11, 2011


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