No - Owls are NOT evil .. My daily musings about my wildlife photo

1. "There's always a hidden owl in 'knowledge'"-E.I. Jane.

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So true. Owls are actually very wise birds that have traditionally been maligned and associated with Evil incarnate in many cultures around the world.

Collage created with my own click and Pixabay image

Perhaps this is because owls are mainly nocturnal creatures and are therefore, commonly associated with darkness. It could be also due to their fearsome appearance with their large round eyes, which are forward looking like humans and the large beak.

The silent flight of the owls can also lead to some associations of owls with ghosts since they seem to appear suddenly out of the darkness without any sounds.

Owls have been associated with everything from witchcraft, omens of death and even shamanism. Practically every Halloween decoration and every other horror movie has owl symbolism.

Following are some of the common owl superstitions and symbolisms

Common superstitions about owls & facts:

• Unclean and undesirable - Many cultures think owls are unclean and undesirable. Nothing could be further than the truth. I have always observed owl catching and eating live prey. They do not eat carrion. Also - they preen very often and keep their feathers very clean

• Bad omen - Some cultures believe that seeing owls leads to bad luck and something bad will happen. If this were to be true, practically EVERY Monday, I would have had bad luck because I usually see at least one owl of some type when I go out on Sundays for photography.

• Evil feminine spirit - This is a good one! some people think owls are an incarnation of women with some vengeance in mind.

Image source

Guys and gals - If this were to be true, I am sure you will agree with me that we would have seen so many owls flying around tearing the hair out of divorcee' men's heads! LOL

How to avoid superstitions and protect owls?

Here is what I personally do. I am not claiming it to be the best or only way to protect owls and their ecosystem. However, I have had some limited success in spreading awareness and believe that it will do the trick if we educate enough people around us -

• Cute pictures of owls - Owls are interesting birds which strike some very cute poses. Capturing and sharing these pictures makes them likeable. I have especially noticed that all the ladies in my friends and family groups go "Awww - how cute" when I show them my owl pics! They in turn show these to children and spread some positive message about owls.

• Protect owl habitat - I always advise people against putting up bright light and noisy equipment near owl nesting sites

• Share facts and figures about owls and how they benefit farmers- Owls form the apex of the food chain containing rodents, mice and other animals that are a nuisance to farmers and also destroy lot of food grains. Owls form a natural control over the population of these pests. Spreading awareness about this also helps save owls.

Here is the owl picture I took on a Saturday night that prompted all these thoughts.

Picture taken with Nikon D500, 200-500 lens
ISO 3200, F5.6, 1/250 shutter

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Moral of the story

Owls are wise, owls are nice
They help farmers get rid of mice!