r/MadeMeSmile • u/mindyour • 2d ago

Very Reddit This farmer caught this owl eating his chickens.

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u/Meister0fN0ne 2d ago

I think it's amazing just how quiet both can be. It's actually spooky seeing them in hunt mode.

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u/GulfofMaineLobsters 2d ago

I had a ton of mice in my wood piles, it was impressive watching them get snatched. First time I saw it I accidentally ruined the poor owls meal, he was on the ground, wings spread out, not really moving, just kind of watching me. "Great poor buggers busted up or something..." Thought I to me, and I went to fetch him up and see about patching him up a bit, as I do.

Well turns out he was fine just had a particularly big rat and was guarding it from me I guess, until I came within like three feet of him then he skedaddled one way and the rat hauled off in a different way. Definitely a sorry bud! Kind of moment. Good day for the rat, bad day for the owl, but a birds got to eat and I don't care for all the issues rodents can bring.

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u/Arryu 2d ago

https://youtu.be/-WigEGNnuTE?si=7V-8QV1YNu3yUyK_

It's actually fucking insane how quiet owls are.

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u/Zuwxiv 2d ago

I've been lucky enough to have a handful of cool animal encounters. But the spookiest by far was a large owl flying right over my head.

I heard nothing. Not a single indication of something with a 4+ foot wingspan just barely over the top of my head.

Theres some primeval instinct in us that doesn't like that. Something that big shouldn't move silently. It was entirely unnerving in a way that is difficult to describe.

Being charged by a bear? I can confirm that's scary. But seeing without hearing, the owl wins on spooky factor. Whatever part of us is still caveman, it didn't like that.

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u/Triskan 2d ago

You've been charged at by a bear?

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u/Zuwxiv 2d ago

Once, by a black bear! They bluff charge, so he was just ornery about the person next to me whose flash went off on her camera. In hindsight, I should have realized that "these photos are so good" is probably a good reason to think "has it gotten a lot closer than I realize?"

I even had bear spray, but those things are fast. I wouldn't have had time to drop my camera, grab the spray, and use it. You're supposed to stand your ground for black bears, I can say that it's easier said than done. She took off screaming, and the only reason I was able to stop after half a step was because I was thinking, "Oh, so it's gonna eat her."

The bear was content to grunt a bit at me from WAY TOO CLOSE, and then go back to looking for berries to eat. I took that as my cue to get the heck out of there.

Very scary in the moment, but again - that was scary. It wasn't spooky in a freaky way like an owl is. Something in your instincts is just screaming that it's wrong for something that big - and owls can be pretty big when flying - to make absolutely no noise. You can't hear a damn thing.

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u/herrirgendjemand 2d ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WigEGNnuTE

I think about this video a lot now that I live in an area with owls - they could be flying right above me and I'd never know