What eats owls?

cowman

cowman

Final Approach
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Cowman
I've had a thrilling few days in the workshop...

Near my house I have a sort of multi-function pole barn. Main area is my insualted workshop/garage area, on the east side horse stalls and a room for feed/horse supplies, north side is a lean-to for hay storage, then on the west there's a fully enclosed area with gravel floor that's basically some extra storage to keep things like the tractor, mowers, etc under a roof.

So I've had an ongoing issue on that west side with birds nesting in the rafters and turning everything in there into modern art. I've tried hanging a fake plastic owl in there to no benefit... I don't want to blow holes in the roof/walls so the usual shotgun approach is out. Well I guess nature came along and helped me out because a couple days ago I was surprised by a large skink(lizard) in one of my storage boxes. Ok, well... he's not hurting anything let him out. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw something drop from the ceiling in the corner and I heard an audible "plop". Thinking a bird had fallen and maybe was dead I went over to investigate and I discovered that instead of a bird it was a snake. Just to clarify, I have a snake falling from the ceiling. Then said snake quickly disappeared into the woodpile I keep in there to feed my furnace in the winter. So yay now a snake may or may not be living in my building. My wife, who is pretty knowledgeable on living things says it's a rat snake. Very likely he ate the birds or at least raided their nests for which I'm grateful but I'd rather not have him dropping on me or surprising me as I go rummaging through stuff.

So I guess nature came to help again tonight. As I pulled the 4 wheeler inside a big barn owl came flying out of there only a foot or two over my head... close enough I momentarily wondered if I was going to be fighting him off. Wife confirms that he could have very well eaten the snake.

So my friends I'm wondering... what eats barn owls? I'm wondering what creature to expect next.
 
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The skink and snake. Wasn’t fast enough for pictures of the owl.
 
Just remember that the snake is more scared of you than you are of him.....:lol::lol:

As for what eats barn owls.... pretty much anything that can catch it.

Any predator on the ground that happens to surprise the owl while it is on the ground will eat it.
 
Well your location says "Danger Zone". Seems appropriate. :)
 
I think this thread has to be hijacked into an ongoing Tribute to Pilawt!
His two responses definitely win the Internet today.
 
Neither of the reptiles is likely eating the birds, although it is possible for the blue racer. That said, reptiles prey on vermin, so whatever they're eating is something you don't want.
 
Apparently we don't have too many apex predators in our 'hood as the 3 Barred Owls have been living on our street for years. My daughter likes to go out a few times per week and find the one who appears to live in one of our backyard trees. He's big enough that I wouldn't want to tangle with him at night for sure, lol. We don't ever have much of a mouse/snake problem though. Most of the snakes I've found near the house are just juvenile Garder snakes.
 
steingar said:
Neither of the reptiles is likely eating the birds, although it is possible for the blue racer. That said, reptiles prey on vermin, so whatever they're eating is something you don't want.
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I don't know about the lizard. But rat snakes are known to enjoy birds.

Assuming the snake is identified properly in this thread and in the attached link:
 
Cap'n Jack said:
I don't know about the lizard. But rat snakes are known to enjoy birds.
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I think I misidentified the serpent, and I am in agreement that it looks like a rat snake. They will happily eat birds, but isn the wild they aren't that good at catching them, and tend to specialize in ground based vermin. That said, they could easily raid nests, eat young birds, and solve an unwanted bird problem that way. But like I said, whatever the snake is eating is far less welcome than the reptile itself. Most North American skinks (which is what the attached photo appears to be) are insectivorous, but again if there are enough bugs to support the lacertid it is probably a good thing he's there.
 
FORANE said:
What, or who?
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I got this t-shirt for my daughter, the English teacher:

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steingar said:
I think I misidentified the serpent, and I am in agreement that it looks like a rat snake. They will happily eat birds, but isn the wild they aren't that good at catching them, and tend to specialize in ground based vermin. That said, they could easily raid nests, eat young birds, and solve an unwanted bird problem that way. But like I said, whatever the snake is eating is far less welcome than the reptile itself. Most North American skinks (which is what the attached photo appears to be) are insectivorous, but again if there are enough bugs to support the lacertid it is probably a good thing he's there.
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Complete agreement with that^^^
I suspect, this time of year, the snake was getting eggs or baby birds and why it was in the rafters to fall down.

I'll let it go now. Don't want it to seem like I'm throwing a hissy fit about it. :)
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Complete agreement with that^^^
I suspect, this time of year, the snake was getting eggs or baby birds and why it was in the rafters to fall down.

I'll let it go now. Don't want it to seem like I'm throwing a hissy fit about it. :)
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Boo hiss.
 
The only thing that will cause the owl to leave unless it makes a fatal mistake, is a lack of food. It sounds like you have the perfect ecosystem to ensure it will be around forever: rotting wood and hay to grow bugs which attract moles, mice, and lizards and (sorry to say possum) which attract snakes and birds which, with their eggs attract more snakes and with all that food you'll get birds of prey like owls. We have a hawk in our neighborhood which eats the rabbits and chipmunks.

Unfortunately, the only way to break this cycle is with chemicals and that would be bad for the things you want to keep.
 
steingar said:
Neither of the reptiles is likely eating the birds, although it is possible for the blue racer. That said, reptiles prey on vermin, so whatever they're eating is something you don't want.
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Rat snakes / black snakes eat bird eggs.
 
Where can I find some extra owls to eat the voles that are messing up my yard ?
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Complete agreement with that^^^
I suspect, this time of year, the snake was getting eggs or baby birds and why it was in the rafters to fall down.

I'll let it go now. Don't want it to seem like I'm throwing a hissy fit about it. :)
Click to expand...
I've never heard of an ovoviparous rat snake, though I admit I don't know everything. Those snakes that do eat eggs have a specialized digestive system to do so, possessing the means to cut open the egg shell within their digestive tracts. I would think it more likely that a rat snake would prey on fledgling birds, since they can't take flight to escape.
 
I have a 125 Lb "field" Labrador retriever - as far as I can tell, she'll eat anything organic, and quite a lot that isn't. We're in a suburb, woods adjacent, and she's killed a Copperhead, several crows (they don't launch very fast), a feral cat, a domestic cat, numerous rabbits, and the last of our indigenous chipmunks. I think we've sent the vet to the Barbados once or twice. . .not sure if she can catch an owl, though; she's an "ambush" hunter, hides in the bamboo or shrubs, waits for something to make a mistake. It's over pretty fast, usually - the snake got "shook" for quite a while, however.

My last Lab had a standoff with an adult eagle; slopped yard, trees, etc. - the eagle didn't have enough room to take-off and the dog was "maneuvering" for an attack angle. It was cool the dog understood the eagle was more dangerous than the crows, and was being careful. The eagle wasn't as bright, but clearly did not want to turn his back on the dog, in order to get going airborne. The body language of both was fascinating, and the dog was trying to "pin" the eagle under a low hanging tree. Pretty sure it was about to end for the bird, but I interrupted them. . .
 
Along the Tennessee river there are several-yes, I'll say it-bat caves. On a summer evening you can sit in your boat and watch the bats emerge en mass. As they rise through the trees, the owls swoop out and snatch them out of the air. Marlin Perkins would love it.
 
cgrab said:
Along the Tennessee river there are several-yes, I'll say it-bat caves. On a summer evening you can sit in your boat and watch the bats emerge en mass. As they rise through the trees, the owls swoop out and snatch them out of the air. Marlin Perkins would love it.
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Bats around our 'hood come out around sunset most evenings and chow down. We normally only see 3-4 of them around the house, but they are helpful creatures going after mosquitoes and gnats. When we were younger, we used to make them dive at a ball tossed up in the air as they flew by. Only had a small cave in the creek behind our neighborhood where they resided, but the opening at the back of the cave was too small for us to fit through to see the den.
 
steingar said:
I've never heard of an ovoviparous rat snake, though I admit I don't know everything. Those snakes that do eat eggs have a specialized digestive system to do so, possessing the means to cut open the egg shell within their digestive tracts. I would think it more likely that a rat snake would prey on fledgling birds, since they can't take flight to escape.
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Rat snake vs. eggs.


 
"I don't know whyyyyy she swallowed the fly"
 
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