-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Is this possibly a snowy owl ? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter alisonb
- Start date
Hello , sorry I am in Yorkshire - Huddersfield , yes the wall is usual dimension , the bird did look all white , thank you for your reply , I will also try to upload the video
Thank you I will try to upload the video , it was all white and did look like an owl but flew off before I got my phone , thank you for your reply
Alexander Stöhr
Well-known member
Hello Alison,
welcome to Birdforum from me too! Thanks for joining this forum to alert others of a possible rare bird!
I hope that you find the time to upload the video.
I mostly trust original observers much more than low resolution pictures with artefacts. No offense intented. Like Bewick and others, I dont get the impression of an owl here. The wings seems to narrow and not rounded enough for either Snowy or Barn Owl, and the tail seems too long for this too.
And yes, it might well be a Gull, but I get the vibe of a raven or a falcon here (surely biased by your impression of an owl). And a falcon would give an more owl like impression with the shorter bill and the upright posture than any corvid with its longer bill and the horizontal posture.
But better wait for the video. Thanks!
As said, I hope this doesnt come out as an offence to a new member, but like you I hope the video will help identifying your bird.
Welcome to Birdforum again!
welcome to Birdforum from me too! Thanks for joining this forum to alert others of a possible rare bird!
I hope that you find the time to upload the video.
I mostly trust original observers much more than low resolution pictures with artefacts. No offense intented. Like Bewick and others, I dont get the impression of an owl here. The wings seems to narrow and not rounded enough for either Snowy or Barn Owl, and the tail seems too long for this too.
And yes, it might well be a Gull, but I get the vibe of a raven or a falcon here (surely biased by your impression of an owl). And a falcon would give an more owl like impression with the shorter bill and the upright posture than any corvid with its longer bill and the horizontal posture.
But better wait for the video. Thanks!
As said, I hope this doesnt come out as an offence to a new member, but like you I hope the video will help identifying your bird.
Welcome to Birdforum again!
_pauls
Well-known member
I have the utmost respect for your analytical and objective approach to ID so I must be living on another planet or misunderstood this entirely... not sure how a predominantly pale bird can possibly be a raven barring extreme leucism or albinism. While I think there is 0% chance of it being a snowy owl I think that is more likely than a raven. Likewise I cant really think of a falcon other than a pale gyr that could remotely fit these photos and even then the shape is surely wrong.
First photo my instinct was barn owl but coupled with second photo and other comments I can understand the gull comments.
Would like to see any more photos/footage but I'd not be at all surprised if it turns out to be a barn owl based on the OPs comments.
Last edited:
I think we are seeing the bird from above/flying away. In which case it surely can't be a Barn Owl as the upperwing of Barn Owl isn't white. I agree with those who think it was probably a gull.
Derbyfella
Well-known member
I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s possible for us to tell from these photos - sorry
a video on the other hand would definately be more hopeful I think as it would give an idea of flight pattern wing beat etc which would then give an owl jizz or gull jizz.
a video on the other hand would definately be more hopeful I think as it would give an idea of flight pattern wing beat etc which would then give an owl jizz or gull jizz.
Hotspur
James Spencer
It is flying away, in a pose typical for hunting barn owl. Barn owls which often appear white with a slightly darker mantle in bright light, such as the OPs photo. The wings are too short for a gull and the tail is the wrong shape. Add to the fact it is gliding over a wall is typical hunting behaviour for a barn owl. If the OP got the impression of an owl then no reason to think gull. Barn owls are often mistaken for Snowy Owls.
Thank you very much for your reply and time , I’m not sure how to add a video to my thread , I have a short video of about 10 seconds I could upload if you know how I can add this ? Thank you Alison
For me, the problem with Barn Owl is that I can't reconcile a diamond-shaped tail with it:
www.birdforum.net
www.birdforum.net
www.birdforum.net
EDIT: Not sure about a gull as well. Raven not a bad guess after all? Though I'm not sure it looks like a Raven either.
14-3-22 Barn Owl Edit (1 of 1).jpg
Barn Owl on the hunt in the early evening just as the sun was going down (had to push ISO to get the shot)
www.birdforum.net
14-3-22 Barn Owl on the Hunt (1 of 1).jpg
Barn Owl in Flight - Late in the afternoon
www.birdforum.net
Barn Owl
Explore Lensmaster work's photos on Flickr. Lensmaster work has uploaded 125 photos to Flickr.
www.birdforum.net
EDIT: Not sure about a gull as well. Raven not a bad guess after all? Though I'm not sure it looks like a Raven either.
Last edited:
Hi Alison and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators. Can you upload your video to one of these sites:
Apple Music Dailymotion Facebook Flickr Giphy Imgur Pinterest Reddit SoundCloud Spotify TikTok Tumblr Twitch Twitter Vimeo or YouTube
Then click into the Address bar and copy the url of the video. Then reply to this thread, and click on the double picture icon above the message pane. Paste in the url and save it.
Should be done.
I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.
Apple Music Dailymotion Facebook Flickr Giphy Imgur Pinterest Reddit SoundCloud Spotify TikTok Tumblr Twitch Twitter Vimeo or YouTube
Then click into the Address bar and copy the url of the video. Then reply to this thread, and click on the double picture icon above the message pane. Paste in the url and save it.
Should be done.
I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.
Hi Alison - ICloud doesn't appear to be one of the supported hosts for videos.
Do you have an account with any of them?
Similar threads
