State 25 - Missouri
World Bird Sanctuary - Valley Park, MO
We’ve reached the halfway point in the states!
This is Goblin, named after David Bowie’s Goblin King character in Labyrinth. He is one of almost 300 animals at World Bird Sanctuary.
Their fact sheet says Barn Owls have some of the best hearing, able to hear mouse footsteps from almost 1/4 mile away , and that they catch 3 or 4 mice a day.
From Nov to March, they have Owl Prowl events to hang out with the owls specifically, and I also saw they have an animal meet and greet where you can handle one of their raptors. The picture showed a Spectacled Owl, so they do have some more exotic species also.
I hope you enjoyed the owls of the southern hemisphere from this weekend. If you missed the Morepork, the Bay Owl, or the Powerful Owl, make sure you check them out. They’re all very unique, especially that Bay Owl!
When you see a RADAR dish and it’s round and symmetrical similar to our ears… I have to wonder (surely the answer is yes) if any of the worlds governments have worked on non-RADAR low-noise detection systems of above-ground (stealth aircraft) or under-ground boring using an owl skull as the reference material. I don’t know how it would work in busy cities, because afaik owls stay far away from noisy cities, but at more remote points scattered around the coasts and borders I bet something similar could work.
Active sonar or ultrasound imaging would be the closest I can think of, but those both involve an initial sound produced by the one listening. Passive sonar is closer, but I don’t know if humans can actual locate anything that way.
Triangulation itself is used in a lot of things, but the owls are just able to do it instantly without math. They do look a bit goofy doing it, but that seems a fair trade for a special ability. That’s what all the upside down head stuff is all about.