Short-eared Owl Casting Pellet

by Bryce W. Robinson

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Short-eared Owl- Asio flammeus

I sat with a Short-eared Owl- Asio flammeus this morning for some time. I was lucky enough to capture the owl casting a pellet from a meal the night before. I rarely share my photography lately. The reason being that I am currently unable to afford photoshop or any program to attach a watermark, but this time I couldn’t contain my excitement and need to share this sequence. When I saw the bird hunch its back, I knew what to expect, and raised my lens, ready to capture the scene. The pellet was much larger than I ever thought possible, and I couldn’t believe my luck at the opportunity to capture the sight. Here is the sequence:

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It took quite a while for the bird to expel the large pellet. Afterwards, as the last picture illustrates, the owl looked in my direction with a look of contentment. I wonder if it is satisfying for this creature to regurgitate undigested material.