We’re at the end of the first round, and basically halfway through the tournament. Today we meet the last of our competitors. The choices will only get harder from here in out, so choose carefully! For the last entrants, we have a pair of mostly monochromatic owls-one you know, and one you likely don’t. You guys have stuck with most of the classics this year, Milky over the Little Owl being the only real outlier. Do you have another surprise in store for me today?
First up, the second most popular owl of last year, we all know it-the Snowy! This is one of the biggest and fluffiest owls; a necessity as it spends most of its time above the Arctic Circle. Snowies are a favorite of owl-ologists. As migratory owls, tossing a tracker on them gets us valuable data from places that aren’t too hospitable or traversable for us. As you might infer from the rise of Snowy posts recently, Snowies will venture further south during the winter in search of food and some additional comfort.
The Black and White is a medium owl of Latin America and northernmost South America. Found in the wetlands and rain forest, this owl hunts mostly in the canopy for beetles and cicadas, though it will also take a bat, rodent, bird, or amphibian should the opportunity present itself. Like the Buffy Fish Owl, the B&W only lays a single egg at a time. Egg clutch sizes for bird species often shrink as they get closer to the equator. The Snowy, on the other hand, can last over 10 at the other extreme.
#superbowl #owloftheyear2024
Snowy Owl
Oh my god, those fluffy lil stompers
Had to include a pic of those feet. People like the spots (and/or lack of for the boys) and the eyes, but those built in Ugg boots do it for me.
Yes I like the eyes too, they look like sneaky little guys
The method to my madness is to vote for the cutest ones. It’s hard though because they’re all so cute… Just some are cuter than others 😂
I try to make it a challenge for you!
I’ve managed to get a decent chunk of you guys thinking Milky Eagle and the Bay Owl are cute though, and those are the least conventional beauties of the bunch. Owls are just beautiful and amazing creatures, what can we say? 😄
Black and White Owl
I’m going to toss this is the comments since it doesn’t need a full post but I still wanted to share.
I just hung up my gf’s most recent owl painting. She doesn’t normally do art, but the local paint studio has a lot of owl art nights. I haven’t been to them, but she’s always come home with something I thought was pretty neat looking.
This was on wood,which gives it a cool texture. A previous one was on window screen material with clay on it to give a real 3D appearance which I really liked as well. They come up with some fun projects.
The company is Painting with a Twist and looks to be a national (US) franchise if it seems like something you’d like to try. She’s done 3 so far.
That looks awesome!
I was really impressed with this one. They really turn out about as good as the picture they show in the event listing!
Here is a link showing the other 2 she did, main pic is hers, and the other is the photo from the ad about what the other one looks like.
I think it’s marketed as a bring your friends and BYOB thing, but the classes have been pretty small when she went, the last one i think she said it was her and one other person as we were supposed to get a snow storm that day. I think she says they basically do an outline for you and then you do whatever you please with that.
It isn’t all that expensive for the materials and help they provide, and she has fun and I’m proud of how good they turned out with no experience. If one is near you, definitely give it a try.
I usually vote for both because I can’t pick a favorite, but a Snowy is part of the reason I married my spouse. So it’ll have to be just one vote today
It’s best not to cross your spouse. You did the right thing! 😇
Gimme that Oreo - B&W baby
Caramel filled owls yesterday, Oreo owls today…are you not getting 3 square meals a day? You’re getting that thing from Looney Toons where they’re on the deserted island and start seeing each other as food thing going on with these poor, innocent owls! 😐
Well as a vegetarian of a few decades I would never munch on a delicious, innocent owl, it’s just. Y’know. They’re cute. 🤷♂️ 😄
Besides, what else is Black and White and wonderful - a newspaper? I think not!
I just have to ensure all the drooling is due to purely aesthetic reasons! I gotta watch out for these hooties’ best interests and all… 😜
I’m gonna root for the Black & White
It’s doing a bit better than i had expected, which I like to see. Even though most of the uncommon owls don’t get very far, it’s still very fun for me to see them get more recognition, and a few will go on to become some of your new favorites. Last year many of us didn’t know White Faced Scops, Buffy Fish Owl, or the Flammulated Owl, but now a lot of you do. Whoever I can get you to remember is a success to me.
White Faced Scops was super underrated
I don’t think I knew its name, but I recalled seeing a few gifs of it doing its transformation.
Not sure if it was just cuz the crowd was still getting warmed up then vs now, but Snowy has more votes than WFS got in its opener, so he better watch his feathered butt or Snowy might sneak past!
Strong margins in both contests yesterday. Crested really whooped the FPO. The eyebrows were just too much to compete with.
I’m curious to see how B&W will perform here. Snowy has gotta be a favorite in many people’s brackets, but you guys did vote B&W back in after it lost to Snowy last year.
Am I too late! Black and white for me!! So majestic.
Glad you like it!
You’re in with plenty of time.
A vote for the B&W if the polls are still open! 🦉
You got it!
