"Creepy" Bird Found Dead

[Vixen]

A bird that is one of the most widespread in the UK, Western Europe and the Mediterranean has somehow ventured to the far north - the first Tyto alba seen in Finland since 1935, and only the eighth time it has been seen in there. The bird was found dead in a field in Vehma, and the University of Turku has carried out an autopsy to find out the cause of death. The answer is: starvation. For some reason it was unable to find its usual diet of small animals. Professor Karhilahti said that the harsh northern conditions seems to have been beyond its capabilities, although there was food to be found, if only it had known where to look, as there are quite a lot of moles in some places.

Karhilahti mentions a mouse owl that arrived in Turku from the far north to winter, which was on duty at Yliopistonmäki, but when he heard the church bells, Kumu moved to the medieval church of St. Catherine.

- When the coffin was lowered at the funeral and the conifers were moved from the top of the opened grave to the side, mice and moles always left and the owl snapped them up, Karhilahti explains.

- It did well all winter.

- The tower owl did not yet know how to proceed here. First you have to apply for academic education and then go to church to eat.[he quipped]

In Finland Tyto alba are called 'tower owls' (tornipöllö) which are better known to us as the good old barn owl.

The barn owl has a special place in our hearts as the creepy star of horror movies.

When you want to be in horror in movies or tension sets, sooner or later the tower owl will fly across the image with the white underside shining in the dark.

Just before the ghost appears in the picture, a sound is heard. “A shimmering, abrasive and scary brightness,” the bird books describe the tower owl’s warning sound.

The owl as a sound effect is starting to even be a cliché.

So heard.

It’s familiar to all of us, even though not everyone knows that the sound from the TV or the screen belongs to the tower owl.

IS

The owl is so named as it likes to inhabit old towers and castles, as well as church towers in wait of funerals, and the ensuing scampering of the rodent kind. And let us not forget: barns.

 

[Skeptical Greg]

That's really sad..

 

[bruto]

I like owls, and I hope that one just strayed. Every once in a while a bird gets caught in an air current or the like, and ends up in the wrong place.

A few years ago I saw a bunch of people on the roadside, and stopped. It turned out that there was a trumpeter swan in a nearby flooded field. I believe it's only the second time in recorded history that one had come to Vermont. They figure it just got lost. Eventually it flew away, but caused quite a stir in the birding community. Luckily I had a camera that day, so here, as a little antidote to the sad tale of the owl, a very rare bird:

 

[hecd2]

This post puzzled me, because I don't think of barn owls as being creepy at all. Very beautiful and very common in the UK, often seen at dusk or dawn hunting over the countryside.

 

[EHocking]

This post puzzled me, because I don't think of barn owls as being creepy at all. Very beautiful and very common in the UK, often seen at dusk or dawn hunting over the countryside.

The whole article seemed fairly absurd. Written by a folklore "expert" rather than a wildlife expert.

And the "creepy" owl sound in movies?
Not a barn owl, more often a Tawny Owl.



So ill-informed as well as absurdly written.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

The whole article seemed fairly absurd. Written by a folklore "expert" rather than a wildlife expert.

And the "creepy" owl sound in movies?
Not a barn owl, more often a Tawny Owl.

Barn owls make a screechy sound. I mostly associate the creepy haunted movie owl sound with the great horned owl. They do a sort of hoo hoo-hoo hooooo sound.

 

[EHocking]

Barn owls make a screechy sound. I mostly associate the creepy haunted movie owl sound with the great horned owl. They do a sort of hoo hoo-hoo hooooo sound.

And the other common one used is the Little Owl.
Pretty sure it is the screech that our dear professor thinks is a barn owl.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Yup, my first thought was how absurd it was to say that barn owls are often seen and heard in horror films. I mean, I can understand if someone thinks it's a creepy sound, but I don't think I've ever heard one in a horror film:



And, as hecd2 said, they're very common in the UK and are just seen as part of the furniture, rather than something weird or creepy.

 

[bruto]

Around here, at least, the iconic owl sound is that of the barred owl, which is a very regular "hoo-hoo---hoo-hoooo." On a good night you can hear several in a hooting chorus. Great horned have a longer less rhythmically regular hoot that is more haunting, and they're rarely seen. I like owls and love to hear them at night, as long as they're not calling my name!

 

[catsmate]

In vaguely related weird bird news, the pink pigeon of Cork is doing well and the missing eagle in Wicklow has returned.
ETA, but the blue crab is still on the loose.

 

[Vixen]

In vaguely related weird bird news, the pink pigeon of Cork is doing well and the missing eagle in Wicklow has returned.
ETA, but the blue crab is still on the loose.

Awww.

Mr Nugent said that being reunited with his bird was an emotional moment.

“He [Kalin] jumped up on my hand and he gripped me like never before," he said.

“I can’t say the tears rolled down my face but I was really emotional about the whole thing.

“[Kalin] wouldn’t let go of my hand when he got up my hand until he came back to his space.

“And then he went straight up to his perch, looking around, thinking he was home.”

Bless.

 

[marting]

There's an egret that wanders around the neighborhood. Very beautiful, large white bird. Just casually walks around very slowly and rarely taking flight. The bird has the slowest, most casual movements. The only negative is it sometimes leaves large large, white, droppings, often on walk/drive paths.

Also have owls, hummingbirds, crows, coyotes, gophers, squirrels, etc.

There's a mockingbird that tweets quite a variety and if you whistle a short sequence it will copy it almost instantly.

Makes me feel good for just observing it casually.

 

[bruto]

Speaking of birds, one of the sure signs of spring around here is that on Saturday we saw our first vultures of the year.

A face only a mother could love, but what fliers!

 

[Vixen]

Speaking of birds, one of the sure signs of spring around here is that on Saturday we saw our first vultures of the year.

A face only a mother could love, but what fliers!


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I can't say I am a fan of birds of prey, although I do have a picture encyclopedia of them. We have had larks, lapwings and ragged-legged buzzards already, according to birdwatchers. A bit early. No sign of the swans yet.

Strangely, although we don't get barn owls here in Finland, we do have numerous others, for example, the Great Grey Owl, to judge by the plentiful pictures of them on Instagram under Finnish nature/birds. Their faces are so human-like they are an attractive subject for photography, together with all the bears, elks, white-tailed deer (which came from the USA as an experiment and now they are everywhere), the lynx and the wolf.

We have a breed of the common jackdaw - a corvid - but of a sub-family, found only in southern Sweden and southern Finland. They have what looks like a pale 'cloak' around their shoulders. Their eyes are uncannily humanlike. Because of their liking for these parts, they are the official bird of this region. (The whooper swan is the official national bird.)

 

[Vixen]

There's an egret that wanders around the neighborhood. Very beautiful, large white bird. Just casually walks around very slowly and rarely taking flight. The bird has the slowest, most casual movements. The only negative is it sometimes leaves large large, white, droppings, often on walk/drive paths.

Also have owls, hummingbirds, crows, coyotes, gophers, squirrels, etc.

There's a mockingbird that tweets quite a variety and if you whistle a short sequence it will copy it almost instantly.

Makes me feel good for just observing it casually.

I love egrets, too. One thing I loved about Tennessee and also Trinidad and Tobago, were the beautiful hummingbirds. TN even had possums; amazing place.