This is a close up photo I took on February 17th, 2014 at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake, NY of a Northern Saw-Whet Owl.

Habitat Description: This owl was in captivity because it suffered damage to one of its wings and it made it unsuitable to be able to properly hunt in the wild and survive. The owl is in captivity at the Wild Center and was in a cage.

This is a close up of an Owl that lives at the Wild Center Museum in Tupper Lake, NY. I was amazed and how calm and poised the Owl remained even when I had a camera very close to it. It is a beautiful bird. Unfortunately I couldn't avoid capturing its cage in the shot as well.

I spotted a Snowy Owl hanging out in a large field. It was amazing to watch it fly effortlessly from a telephone pole, to a tree, and finally landing on the ground in the field. It was very impressive to see how well the coloring of the owl helped it blend into the ground. As I watched it, I couldn't help but to think of all the people who were driving by the field oblivious to this beautiful bird!

More time in with the winged creatures at the refuge center by my wife, Deb, and I. Pictures of an arctic fox, kestrel, bald eagle, young great horned owl & merlin are in this set.

Adirondack Raptors is a company owned by Mark Manske that monitors and studies local raptors (carnivorous birds with strong talons). He also focuses on educating the local community about birds of prey. He explained to us that not all owls hoot. Instead, some (like the barn owl) use higher pitched shrieks to communicate. The white concave disk-like face is covered with fine, silky feathers, with ear sockets facing above and below. The concavity of the facial disk allows for optimized sound-gathering from the respective directions.

These are but a few raptors at ADK Wildlife Refuge in Wilmington. Pics included here are of a broadwing hawk, merlin, saw whet owl and great horned owl (juvy and adult).