Nature, Owls

I don’t watch TV too often, aside from the news. I really like the Nature shows on PBS. The advanced photography technology always surprises me. The filmmakers get really close to the animals without interacting and imprinting the animals. Last week there was a special about owls. This type of show does in my opinion produce a feeling of pleasure and escape. The draw is a majestic animal I would normally not see in nature. In Arizona, owls are very shy towards humans and I have seldom seen them for than a few seconds. These are larger owls and they are hunting in the daytime. The camera gets really close to the owl and you see them close up in flight,  perched in a tree or building looking for their next meal. This show also showed orphan owls being raised by humans. It showed time lapsed photography showing the owls growing and maturing, losing downy fluff and growing flight feathers. Filming an animal in its natural setting, often failing while hunting gives the impression you are watching the animal in nature not on the television screen.

The show was about adaptations that make the owl a proficient hunter. There are close-ups showing the owls in flight, how they maneuver in air to position themselves above their prey. Then the owl dives and pounces on the hapless field mouse with its talons. After illustrating how the animal is successful at hunting, the program will break down the different components that make for a successful hunt. The show will superimpose a diagram over the animal showing bone adaptations in the vertebrae so the owl can turn its head 270 degrees. The fossae in the vertebrae are larger and this allows the bones to rotate and not impede blood flow. The major arteries also  hold larger supply of blood, enter the head at a higher angle making the arteries more stable. The program also went into detail concerning owl hearing, ear placement on their heads, feather structure that funnels sound to their ears, and how feather structure makings owl flight very silent. The drawback to these great feathers is they are not waterproof. Owls go hungry when it rains or snows for prolonged periods of time.

This program works for pleasure and escape because the information it provides makes me better appreciate the animal on the program. I learn about the animal so I do not feel I wasted an hour. The programs actually felt short, I would like it if the program was 2 or 3 part series, showing more owls hunting and raising young in different habitats., so yes, it leaves you craving for more.  In Tubac, our ranch is against state land, we have very few neighbors. Hawks are indifferent to people, they let humans get pretty close, owls are timid and fly into dense treetops or down into scrub if they see a human. I see small tree owls and I have a new appreciation for them, I know now they are fierce little hunters.