[Leica] IMG: Great Horned Owl

[wildlightphoto at earthlink.net (Doug Herr)]

Chris Crawford wrote:

>Cats are top-of-the-chain predators, as are owls. A little professional
>courtesy from the owl to the cat would have been nice! LOL
>
>The woman this happened to lives in New Mexico and has a bunch of horses.
>She told me the story of her cat because she had been complaining that the
>barn her horses live in is full of mice that she can't seem to get rid of. I
>noted that she had 8 horses, a burro, and 5 large dogs, but not one cat! One
>or two half-wild farm cats tossed in the barn would take care of the mice
>fast.
>
>No, she lamented, can't have a cat. See that TALL tree in the yard? A Great
>Horned Owl lives in it. He ate my cat and I had to watch him rip it
>apart....I can't deal with that again. No cat. :(

We've found that our Jack Russell Terrier / Queensland Heeler mix is more 
effective at keeping the barn clear of mice and rats.  Fencing keeps him out 
of the street, and even the larger rats don't stand a chance when he's on 
the hunt.  We lock him in the barn overnight because we have coyotes and 
Great Horned Owls in the area.  We couldn't keep cats locked in the barn or 
away from the street :-(

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com