tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35799171.post8116147917563995184..comments2024-01-06T19:49:48.119-05:00Comments on Audubon South Carolina: Funky and Fearsome!Swampyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06373701685804981500noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35799171.post-69303983261770150742009-07-25T10:12:25.283-04:002009-07-25T10:12:25.283-04:00Owls hunt mostly at night because they can use the...Owls hunt mostly at night because they can use the cover of darkness to their advantage. Their prey cannot see or hear them coming. However, if prey are easily accessible during the day, owls will hunt at that time.<br /><br />In the swamp, the Barred Owls are hunting crayfish during the day. Owls can see the crayfish moving in the shallow water or across the exposed mud, yet the crayfish cannot detect the owls perched motionless above them. Owls do not need the cover of darkness or silent flight to successfully capture crayfish.<br /><br />At Beidler Forest, Barred Owls can readily be seen along the backside of the boardwalk. However, it's the boardwalk that makes it easy to get into the owls' habitat. Additionally, the owls are heard elsewhere along the boardwalk, but not often seen. A pair of Barred Owls live directly across the street from my home in Summerville, but I only see the birds at dawn and dusk when they are hunting in my yard for small, mammalian prey, which is an activity best conducted in darkness.<br /><br />Therefore, to answer your question, it depends on the owl species and habitat. Owls have evolved to hunt effectively at night and rest during the day, but some situations (crayfish in an old-growth swamp) make hunting during the day an easy and attractive alternative.Swampyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06373701685804981500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35799171.post-71821444781839196602009-07-23T07:50:01.006-04:002009-07-23T07:50:01.006-04:00I hope this isn't an incredibly stupid questio...I hope this isn't an incredibly stupid question, but when do these owls become more nocturnal and harder to find during daylight hours?<br /><br />P.S. Always great pictures!Cindy Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07874115517050860246noreply@blogger.com