One more thing!

[telophase]

Before I go to bed!

On the drive home after class and just after dark, while driving down a residential street near the school, I saw a small owl on the side of the road! It's side was to me and its head was turned slightly away, so I didn't see its face, but I saw its long legs and brown feathers. Not sure what type it is as the only owls I can identify with any success are the barn owl, provided I see the face, and the horned owl, provided I see the horns. :)

It was standing on the tarmac right next to the gutter and curb. It wasn't a whole lot taller than the curb, although the curbs are a bit higher than usual in this area. It was also pretty blase about the car and ignored me. I assume it had some prey.

I saw a fox not too far from the area a couple of years ago - I like the wildlife in this area, in the middle of the city. :) (There's a lot of wooded areas around here, as it's an older neighborhood, near a country club, and near the zoo and botanic gardens.)

Comments

[cawingcrow.livejournal.com]

Sounds rather like a burrowing owl: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that does seem like it. And that page says its habitat is in this area, although I'm a bit surprised at it being in a city. Hm. (Darn, none of the Bio profs here seem to have ornithology interests!)

[cawingcrow.livejournal.com]

In Tucson, I'd usually see them in the streets--they were living/hanging out in drainage pipes in the curbs. I think they like streetlights because they attract bugs (my guess at least). Every time I've seen a burrowing owl it has been in a city, but that could be because I'm not out in the country that much and the one place I tend to go might not be good burrowing owl habitat.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Interesting! The streetlight/bug thing makes sense. Wonder where it lives around there?

[chibipoe.livejournal.com]

I am only making this comment because it is related to Owls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCgbYnNAbSM Transformer Owl strikes!