Bonus whilst out on Fox control.

[maxtich]

Here’s a bonus ..whilst i was controlling foxes last night,after bagging fox no1.
I neatly put him in my ambush point and waited..always get bonuses like passing Barn owls/Little Owls hunting nearby and quite often alight nearby posts and low hung branches.
It’s almost as they are seeking our company..but i think they just instinctively know we are hunting also and they’ve got a good chance of a free meal.
Any way i always get rats/mice/voles scuttling about near my zone,whilst i was waiting and saw this vole/mice @ 40 odd yds moving about..I just started recording it to show how impressive this thermals performance at even these tiny animals heat source
Fast forward i decided to follow it..after a few seconds whoosh in comes a missile ..im sure it was a little owl almost hit it.
Thankfully Big Al was kind enough to put up this video in its entirety.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lv6XAAh78qsgdRCJ6

[maxtich]

I can’t fathom out..why couldn’t the owl grab it?

[spanner]

It was dark, I know they have good Night vision but it can't be perfect?

[maxtich]

That may be so ..but how they manage to survive is amazing.

[Plecotus]

Hearing is the more important sense for locating prey for the Barn Owl and many other owl species too.  They can catch prey under thick, rank grass (one of the best habitats for them) in pitch darkness, by listening to the movement of their prey.

When they fledge, their ability to hunt by sound isn't so great - they have to learn how to do it and 'calibrate' their ears.  Many (perhaps most) owl species have asymetric ear positioning which helps them with accuracy and precision. 

[ezmobile]

On 11/21/2021 at 12:37 AM, maxtich said:

That may be so ..but how they manage to survive is amazing.

Tens of thousands of years evolution and practice might play a part?😉