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I live just a couple hundred feet from a maze of hiking trails, and I take Skipper on short hikes almost every day. About a month ago, I noticed an owl flying around on several of our hikes. This was in daylight - usually late afternoon or early evening, like a couple hours before sunset. I traveled to Canada for a friend's wedding in late July, and I hadn't seen the owl after that. Last night, on my hike with Skipper, I saw it (or a new owl) again.
Skipper was off-leash ahead of me, and as I rounded a bend, I saw the owl flying away from the direction of Skipper. It landed on a high branch, and I called Skipper to me and took some pictures with my phone. Skipper started wandering away (just a few feet), and the owl came swooping down in that direction. I yelled and ran towards Skipper, and the owl landed at a branch just about six feet from me. I threw a large stick toward it to see if I could scare it, and, even though the stick missed it by only a foot or so, the owl barely flinched.
We live in Tennessee, and I think the owl is a Barred Owl. I've read about Great Horned Owls attacking large animals, but Barred Owls are apparently only 1-2 pounds. Do I need to worry about the owl attacking Skipper? She's 17 pounds with a lean, but very muscular build, so she would definitely not be an easy prey for a 2-lb bird. Do you think that the fact that the owl was so bold and overt means that it is being territorial, and not necessarily hunting for food?
Skipper was off-leash ahead of me, and as I rounded a bend, I saw the owl flying away from the direction of Skipper. It landed on a high branch, and I called Skipper to me and took some pictures with my phone. Skipper started wandering away (just a few feet), and the owl came swooping down in that direction. I yelled and ran towards Skipper, and the owl landed at a branch just about six feet from me. I threw a large stick toward it to see if I could scare it, and, even though the stick missed it by only a foot or so, the owl barely flinched.
We live in Tennessee, and I think the owl is a Barred Owl. I've read about Great Horned Owls attacking large animals, but Barred Owls are apparently only 1-2 pounds. Do I need to worry about the owl attacking Skipper? She's 17 pounds with a lean, but very muscular build, so she would definitely not be an easy prey for a 2-lb bird. Do you think that the fact that the owl was so bold and overt means that it is being territorial, and not necessarily hunting for food?
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