Wednesday 18 November 2009

Sad, but beautiful

An interesting cycle ride to work, firstly due to the gale force gusting wind which reduced my progress to nearly zero at times; and secondly, as I came across a freshly dead piece of roadkill in the form of a Tawny Owl at the bottom of Horspath Hill. I moved the corpse to bushes the side of the road, and it was still there when I returned in the afternoon. I took the opportunity to get a few pictures of these beautiful birds.  Note the broad, rounded wings, ideal for woodland hunting:


The claws and feet, the underside of which are covered with rough scales to enhance the grip on prey:


And the barbs on the leading edge of the wing which result in near silent flight:


Lets hope the next one seen in the area is in a better state of health...

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