Posted on 01/18/2011 3:29:23 PM PST by JoeProBono
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill - An Illinois man credited his Chihuahua's winter jacket with saving the small canine from a great horned owl attack.
George Kalomiris said he was walking the 4-pound dog, Chico, in the early hours Wednesday in Crystal Lake when the owl swooped out of the darkness and tried to grab the canine, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday.
However, Kalomiris said the owl could not get a good grip on Chico because of the dog's puffy winter jacket. He said the dog suffered scratches to his head and a puncture wound, but quickly recovered from the injuries.
Rebecca Murphy of the McHenry County Conservation District's Wildlife Resource Center told the Crystal Lake Northwest Herald the owls are "opportunistic" hunters.
"(Owls don't) know the difference between a pet animal or a prey animal," Murphy said. "With a small dog like that, there is a potential that larger raptor species could take them down."
I had one of our German Shepherds go through our door some years ago.Fortunately,the UPS driver saw her coming and got the truck door shut just in time.
Great horned owls can grow to very large size.
That’s gonna leave a mark lol!
Whenever the squirrel population in my backyard gets large the hawks and owls move in and clean the out. My office overlooks the backyard and it never gets old watching the birds nail their prey.
This past summer a hawk nailed a chipmunk right outside the window. It ripped it open, took the juicy parts and flew off to the top of the swing set to enjoy a morsel.
Speaking of red tailed hawks, I watched one swoop down into our back yard and pick a squirrel up off the ground. At about 20 feet off the ground the squirrel wiggled free and fell to the ground. After a few seconds the stunned but unhurt squirrel ran up a tree.
We were all admiring a cardinal that was on the fence(tell me if you have heard this story before).
Well anyway all at once all we see is a blur and red feathers floating down.
Looks like you are going to get a good bit of snow tonight. Enjoy! I would give anything to be at Moonlight Basin tomorrow.
Lucky squirrel. There are lots of less fortunate squirrels on youtube.
Yikes... a gal I know was out to lunch at a nice lakeside restaurant in Kirkland, WA. Nice sunny day. Table outside on the deck right by the water. She and her friend were enjoying their lunch when they got a spectacular close up of huge bald eagle as it swooped in and landed right in front of them. They were blown away... such a majestic bird... and right there. Then she noticed that it had something in its talons, and it started tearing into it and eating it. She leaned forward to peer over the railing to see what it had... figuring it was a fish.
It was a cat.
It kinda’ soured the “nature experience” for some of the patrons.
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