Barred Owls photographed by Ben Sandier
Coyotes, zombie raccoons and the occasional feral pig receive the lion’s share of attention related to White Rock Lake wildlife, but there are plenty of animals and birds around the lake, too.
Last year, we published a photo-oriented story of life at White Rock, sponsored by Team Whiteside Realtors and photographed by Robert Bunch. Today we received an email from lake enthusiast Ted Barker with a link to this video of barred owls and their baby living in the trees at the lake.
If you’re an owl or wildlife lover, you will enjoy the super-sharp colors and glimpse of owls living among city challenges.
If you’re more of a casual wildlife enthusiast, there’s not a whole lot of action here after the first minute or two (although the baby owl spends a little time teething and defecating halfway through the video, if you’re into that).
Here’s photographer Ben Sandifer’s discussion of the video posted on YouTube:
“A baby Barred Owl exhibiting ‘branching’ behavior the first stage of leaving the nest for owls. Watch as the baby is fascinated with the sights and sounds of the world around it as the bird sees things for the first time. The young owl passes a pellet in the video and also climbs around along the branch of a Texas Red Oak.
“The adult Barred Owls in the video do two different sets of calls. The territorial warning calls, aimed at another pair of Barred Owls nearby. The second set towards sunset is easy to recognize ‘Who Cooks For You’ call, a friendly call. The parents are in nearby trees in relation to the baby owl. The adults and baby are in eye contact with one another the entire time.
“Strict wildlife ethics were followed filming this and at no time were the owls crowded or made uncomfortable. Dallas, Texas April 2013.”
