Iris Attacked By Great Horned Owl on Hellgate Osprey Cam | May 21, 2024
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 พ.ค. 2024
- A Great Horned Owl aggressively attacked Iris during the night, knocking her off the nest and into the dark night skies. While the owl remained on the edge of the nest, an osprey (presumably Iris) made several swoops at the owl, eventually convincing it to depart the nest. We could see the shadow of Iris as she returned from across the parking lot, and after perching and alerting using a more rarely heard, almost mechanical/duck-like high-alert vocalization, she settled back into the nest, remaining alert for some time after.
Usually Great Horned Owls aren't a threat to an adult Osprey, but they are known to prey on nestlings. Only time will tell if the owl continues to probe Iris' defenses as the incubation period continues, and we're hopeful that Iris' stalwart defense of her nest and her formidable size will convince the owl that this nest isn't worth the attention.
Watch live with updates, tweets, and highlights at
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Watch the cam and learn about the Montana Osprey Project at
hs.umt.edu/osprey/
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This Osprey nest is at the mouth of the spectacular Hellgate Canyon at the edge of Missoula, Montana. It’s in a very busy location, right outside the Riverside Health Care Center and next to busy parking lots, a construction site, a busy highway, and a railroad. However, it’s also an ideal location in many ways, since these Ospreys have riverfront property only about 50 feet from the Clark Fork River. Being so close to people does not bother them, and hundreds of people enjoy watching them every day.
The female Osprey at this nest is called Iris because she has very distinctive spots on her iris, especially in her left eye. These iris patterns serve as individual barcodes and allow us to identify her. She has nested at this site for many years. Her mate of many years, Stanley, did not return in 2016, and she attempted to breed with a new male dubbed "Louis" after an influential local Salish elder named Louis Adams (for more info: missoulian.com/news/local/new-...)
After a single year of successful breeding with Louis in 2017, Iris went through several years of unsuccessful attempts as Louis paired up with another female a little downriver. Then, in 2024 a new male showed up (later christened "Finnegan" by viewers) who successfully paired with Iris and began a new breeding season.
Ospreys are consummate fishing birds, and this pair fishes primarily from the Clark Fork River and nearby Rattlesnake Creek. They use their 6-7 foot wingspans to soar above the water, looking for fish, then diving as deep as 3 feet for shallow-swimming prey. Adult Ospreys usually weigh 3-4 pounds, and they can carry prey up to 50 percent of their own weight. Ospreys can live up to 25 years, and they typically lay 1-4 eggs in a clutch.
The nest used to be on a power pole about 200 feet west of where it is now. This was dangerous, since the Ospreys could have been electrocuted, causing fires and power blackouts. In 2007, the current nest platform was erected to provide a safer place for the Ospreys to nest. They took to it immediately. Getting the new nest platform set up, and installing and running to high resolution camera for this feed for you to enjoy has been a large effort involving many groups: Riverside Health Care Center, Karen Wagner, Kate Davis and Raptors of the Rockies, Northwestern Energy, Dave Taylor Roofing Company, and Dr. Erick Greene of the University of Montana.
#birdcams #live #osprey #birds #wildlife #nature #nowplaying #montana
Poor Iris, this is the first time I've seen an owl attack Iris 😮 I'm so glad Iris and her eggs are ok!!! Finnegan needs to sleep on the perch from now on.
agree
I’m shocked he didn’t come to help her after hearing her distress call. The Owl saw the eggs and I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t come back after they hatch, but I sure hope not.
@jllynn8250 yes he was checking out the eggs. I just hope he doesn't return tonight or ever!!!!
She's absolutely frazzled! Feathers all puffed up, trying to sit back down and relax at the end
Wow. The owl attack was one thing, but that retaliation was nuts. That owl got smoked!
She definitely brought the smoke!!.
I mean, wouldn't you?
WOW! That was brutal. I hope Iris is ok and the eggs aren’t damaged. 😯😢
I think that the OWL would have grabbed any nestlings that might have been in the nest. Maybe the owl was surprised when the talons hit iris. Iris came back to drive off the owl. Very, very cool video sequence. Can see how dangerous BIG owls can be on exposed nests.
Iris looked like she was sleeping good before the owl attacked her. After Iris chased the owl off and stood on the nest she was making a sound that I never heard from her before. I'm glad the eggs weren't harmed.
4 years ago the same thing happened and she made that same sound. That must be a specific noise she makes for owls or predators on the nest! She’s amazing!! The slo motion of her retaliation was absolutely insane!! Don’t mess with her babies!!!
@@GingerSnap7Her mate didn't come help? Or is this another 2 nest, 2 timing mate. Like years ago?
@@JulieH319 no one came to help last time… but I just watched it, and it’s fascinating that she makes the same sounds. And I’m glad it’s not the same mate ❤️
Maybe that’s her “try that again and I will f you up” sound 😆
That's the sound Osprey make when they're in defense mode. It's the first warning to get away from the nest platform.
Bird banders will observe this behavior when banding Osprey chicks. Though in that case Mom will do a circular flight pattern around the nest site as an intimidation tactic.
Poor Iris, she's been having the worst luck lately
She woke up covered in snow this morning. Poor girl.
Local owl too early to chow down on baby birds gets angry osprey to the chest. You get 'em, ma'am!
I know nature is nature...but I still feel for Iris❤❤❤❤❤ hope all is well
That was certainly a rude awakening for poor Iris 😬
Oh no! I hope Iris wasn't hurt. Looks like that owl had a pretty good grip for a minute.
wow. the owl could've done some real damage if there were nestlings under her. that return blow from iris was unforgiving! i do hope that great horned decides this nest isn't worth the effort. still, both birds are incredible sights. may they both have successful seasons.
I just love this brave sweet girl. She is such a survivor! Please watch over her and her eggs and let her have her babies this year.
I hope the owl doesn't come back.
Amazing footage!! Thanks!!
Yeah...poor Iris. You could see her lil heart beating so fast 😢
Yes, she was very frazzled after that attack. I hope she taught that owl a lesson and he will not be returning.
Man, she really drilled that owl on the final pass. Those talons are fearsome.
Wow! That's drama. Both magnificent birds. Thankful Iris & clutch are okay. That must be super stressful!
They don't call GHO's the "tiger of the skies" for nothing, that's for sure! And, that was a direct hit, too; it had time to line up its attack and engage under total stealth. Great horned owls are my favorite raptors, but this was HARSH! I hope Iris and her eggs are OK.
Psha!-- That GHO got as good as it gave! Osprey hold their own against Bald Eagles so I wasn't worried 😉
@artimidz3451 I was freaked out. I have seen owls kill so many times on live cams. OSPREYS and Falcons can not see in the dark. Owls can. I have seen them take so many chick's and some parents.
@@artimidz3451 I’ve seen many videos where the Osprey parents are pushed out of their nests and the owl kills the chicks. Did you know these owls can also hold their own against an Eagle? I’ve seen a pair of owls had kicked out a pair of eagles from a nest and took it for their own. Don’t underestimate an owl. Iris is lucky she was able to push herself out from under the owl and had the light to see, from the parking lot, to come back and push the intruder off.
@@kips8156 Respect is due to the GHO! Ditto to the Bald Eagle. Nature is so Fierce that all wild birds have developed some very serious survival skills!
From what little I know, it would appear that GHOs would probably be stronger than Osprey; however, an Osprey is probably capable of attacking using the greatest amount of velocity of any raptor.
We had an osprey nest on a power pole in the middle of our 40 acre farm. It's been there for at least 4 decades now, although it was sold back around 2001, but it's still there. I once saw it carry a fairly big animal back to the nest. It was either a very fat rabbit or somebody's cat. I hope it was a rabbit.
From Mother to Warrior in the blink of an eye.
Aw, come on. Iris has had enough bad luck.Please go away, GHO. Poor bird.
So fast to begin gaining feathers!
You can literally see feathers in the air a few frames after Iris roundly pummels that owl!
Could tell how shaken up she was. I hope she and the eggs will be okay!
Horned owls can be ruthless. Even attacking bald eagles. They certainly have a lot of guts to mess with eagles but they do
Wow … what a bummer … wonder where Iris’s partner roosts at night? I hope he will stay close by and be there too if/when GHO might return. I wonder if GHO has a nest close by? I have seen GHO go after Eagles at night, this is new one for me … going after the Osprey… I feel bad for Iris … wild animals go through so much …
An owl got one of the osprey chicks at Lake Murray nest last night 😢
I hope Iris is ok. I can’t believe the owl didn’t bother he eggs.
She looks terrified, There was no one to help her in the deep night 😢I can't bear to see that.
Poor Iris 😢. Where was Finnegan?
Do you think Iris was hurt? Her wings seem to be hanging down in a strange way.
She might be, i dont know, but I know raptors often do that with their wings when they are threatened. It's a defensive pose.
She could also be getting hot from the shock, the stress and all that flying. Raptors hold their wings out like that on a hot day to cool themselves down and will pant like a dog does to cool down.
Oh no poor Iris!! Another nest i watch Lake Murray lost one of their osprey chicks to a GHO last night 😢 Hopefully this won't become a constant problem for Iris...
That’s my aunts cam. She’s absolutely heartbroken over it 😢
❤ Iris was so courageous! She is so impressive.
Where is her mate that he didn't come to help?!
Maybe he was sleeping too far away to hear her calls. Also, ospreys do not have good night vision, whereas owls do. I don't think I've ever seen a male come to the nest at night and I've seen a few owl attacks on other nests before and the males did not fly in to help.
@@loisaustin6200exactly! Lake Murray lost one of their chicks to a GHO last night and the mom was perched above the nest but the owl struck so fast not even the other chicks in the nest knew what happened
@@melissamcclain34 It is always so sad and upsetting to see that happen. I have to admit I am not fond of owls and never watch owl nests. Owls took over the Orange Beach nest this year, don't know where the ospreys went but I missed watching them and never tuned in to see what the owls were doing. I can't stand watching them tear apart little animals they bring to the nest. ugh
@@melissamcclain34ohhh sorry to read it happened again at Lake Murray ! I had a look some days ago and was glad to see they were still three. The same thing happened last year. The GHO grabbed the three chicks one after another. Terrible ! The mom didn't see or hear anything, no time to react. Anyway ospreys are powerless and have no chance of beating GHO. They are at the top of the chain. Lucy lost her three babies last spring. If the GHO came back this year it will strike again... unfortunately. Concerning Iris, strange to see a GHO attacking an adult. I hope it won't do it again. Iris is so precious, hope she is doing well. Worrying for the babies to come !
@@loisaustin6200 you should honestly take a peak at an owl cam. They’re very affectionate to each other with their chirps and coos and all the grooming they do to each other to strengthen their bonds. How the owlets will stand tall being all fluffy and will start bobbing with their head, which is more of them doing a circle. I’ll be honest it’s very disheartening to hear people spread hate about Great Horned owls. Not saying that’s what you’re doing, but sometimes it can influence some peoples views on these magnificent birds when reading others comments. I saw one person talking about how Great Horns are evil, there was another person saying “a good owl, is a dead owl”. These birds are doing what any other bird does, they survive and make sure the same happens with their offspring. Eagles go after fish, they go after cats, they go after rabbits and other small mammals. Osprey mainly go after fish but if the fish are scarce they will go after smaller animals like birds, rabbits and hares, reptiles, mammals and rodents. Sure these encounters can get graphic and can cause strong emotions in people, but you should also see the other side of them the side they show when they’re gifting their mate the prey they caught, the same side with how they interact with their offspring. See what they’re doing this all for to greatly appreciate them. I see this is getting longer than I wanted it too and I’m rambling a little bit, but I also wanted to share a fact about Owls. They have no ability to make their own nest. They don’t have the leg strength to carry big branches, and don’t have the right beaks to move those big branches to make their nest. That’s why they go after nests to claim them so they can have their own little owlets. Which is also why people make owl nest boxes for owls. To give them a helping hand.
You should check out Robert E Fullers cams. It’s such a paradise for many kind of birds and animals. He makes all the nest boxes himself! There’s foxes, different kind of Owls, and Falcons.
Omg , poor Iris , never seen her get attacked by GHO, have seen it in other nest 😢
Hope Iris is well!😢Stay strong Iris!❤️ 🙏
Oh no, this is awful. Have never seen this happen to Iris. Hope it's not a portend of things to come, where she's going to have to defend constantly, especially after chicks arrive. Hopefully she and Finn can convince it to move on! Poor Iris!!😢😮
That's some serious chirping Isis is doing for a while. Never heard her do that before. Then again I never saw/heard of the nest getting attacked before either. Must be her get your bird butty over here NOW chirp
I just checked in on the live cam from a bout 30 minutes before this comment to a lovely close up of Iris at night on the nest. I know (sadly, from personal experience), how a nighttime attack can ruin your ability to sleep for a long, long time after the fact. I'm wondering, is Iris able to sleep at all? Looking over the past 12 hours of footage-most of which is from the night-it looks like she's not... 😢
Wow, what a fight!
Told that owl, GET OUT!!! Poor Iris. I hope she's ok.
Love ospreys. Built a pole on Chesapeake Bay and had osprey pair; Alpha and Omega create many a nest full of , often 4 red eyed chicks. Loved watching them. The fought off sea gulls and even an eagle!!!
Ooh scary for Iris!
Incredible video. Mother Nature is so fascinating.
Go Iris!!!!!!!!! Love you!!!! Pow!!!!
Poor Mama Iris. She's fiesty with that sound she's making to tell that owl to go find some rats or mice to munch on instead !
I don't think Iris has slept one minute each night since this happened.
Awe poor mamma
My osprey friend is doing well! His wing was filled with infection and maggots, but he's healing up fast!
Poor Iris. Hopefully nothing bad will happen to her again. Just wondering where is the male at?
Wow, I've heard of this kind of thing but never seen it.
Where is her mate
She looks ok!
Iris is the champ!!! She won this fight!! Go Iris!!
I love owls but I am rooting for her in this case. She came back in claws out!!
Agreed!
Poor Iris, she is going to have some PTSD from that encounter. Probably will not sleep so deep for a few months at least.
Owls will attack anything - especially GHOs - they are literally fearless. And their talons are no joke. I hope Iris wasn’t hurt too bad when it pierced her with its talons to lift her. 😳
That was Iris springing to action to push herself out from under the owl, that wasn’t the owl lifting her up. Owls’ll sit on their prey to hold them down and will start to defur/ defeather them after a bit if their strike with those talons landed true.
I can’t tell if the owl got a good grip on her or not, she was quick to move and the owl was just as quick to jump off of her before they both went over. I would have loved to see a size comparison with these two standing next to each other for a frame, before the action started, to see how big that owl was. I feel like it’s a male and males are smaller than females. Could also be a new adult, of the year that has some inexperience with going after bigger prey too. So much could have played a role in Iris surviving this encounter. Great Horned owls can also be very persistent so we may see it again in the next night or two, or it left to find something easier to eat. We’ll have to see how this plays out.
Good points! I also wondered if it was a juvenile GHO - looked a bit small to me. Thank goodness the eggs hadn’t hatched. It kept looking into the nest before Iris knocked it off her nest. Someone can find a beautiful GHO feather at the base of that platform!
Is her egg still ok? Poor Iris. Dang owl.
Does Iris survive ? The Great Horned Owl uses tremendous pressure with those talons
I don't know. The GHO is a tough customer. Ospreys...not so much, IMO. We shall see.
PshA You're totally wrong The Osprey can out smart and out fly even the big bad Bald Eagle! I'm not worried about Iris 😁
You did so well, Iris mama! 🤩👍
@@artimidz3451GHOs can and do kill and eat adult osprey.
@@CarrieJamrogowicz the sick ones, sure. But they have to catch them first & osprey can out maneuver GHOs in flight very easily
@@CarrieJamrogowicz if the GHO's was diet-dependent on Ospreys it would soon be extinct.
GHOs are very aggressive raptors and aren't picky about their prey. There are records and videos of those owls killing other large raptors.
What a good Mama you can see she’s shaking but tiny but spunky .
Ich hoffe es geht beiden gut
I wish Iris didn’t have to deal with GHOs. This doesn’t bode well for future chicks.
Poor thing. Nature is so rude sometimes. She looked like a spooked cat. Hope she wasn't injured. Owls have powerful talons. Still, she gave back what she got! lol That owl didn't want none of that.
That doesn't look like a night vision video. Are you guys lighting up her nest at night?
I sure hope Iris is okay. I love owls 🦉 but not when this happens 😢
Angry mommy!🦅
Just a question. The fact that she is lit up at night does that make for the possibility that the owl may have not noticed her otherwise? I’m all for the cams but not necessarily with a spotlight all night.
The light isn't a help to an owl predating. Owls see VERY well in the dark so the light being on or off doesn't add to or subtract from Iris's vulnerability.
🦜 Nooo leave her alone! Keep moving. Guess Finn doesnt roost close by 🤨
I wonder if this could have been a juvenile GHO that wasn't as experienced and picked the wrong prey.
It had adult plumage
Probably a new adult of the year with some inexperience on larger prey. Great Horns will still attack and eat adult birds though if they’re able to pin them down. Could also maybe be a male? Not sure on that since they were moving so fast and I couldn’t catch a good size comparison with the two. Males are smaller than the females.
Not watching the video but it was so wonderful of Iris to stay so strong and be the fighter that she is too. I do pray she is alright and will continue to be tough and show those mean GHO’s that she truly means business.❤️😞😮😢 continued prayers for Iris her babies be her partner too. Sue M. Florida 🤞🏼🙏❌⭕️
Poor Iris. She seems to have a tough life. It's not easy being a bird. Hope that owl stays away It was a really big one. Where was her husband? He should have been defending her.
Ospreys cants see at night. He’s most likely farther away somewhere in the dark.
@@kips8156 No excuse. There's a perch attached to the nest platform. He should have been there.
That was incredible
Owl just claimed a nest
Iris stood on business!!! 🗣️🗣️🗣️
NAUGHTY OWL 🦉 ❤✌️
At least the eggs weren't stolen!
A GHO will take whatever it wants... sadly.
What the ! I remember Racheal and Steve would have this problem, hope sweet Iris is ok❤❤❤
Darn tough night for Iris! I hope the owl will not return…
Phew! I'm glad iris is ok!
Her left wing looks injured.
I think she's ok, her wing looked strange as she was mantling.
She could possibly be hot and tired from all that adrenaline that went through her from that encounter. From another video an Osprey had her wings lowered and away from her body too cuz she was getting ready to engage with the owl if it came back for another pass at her. So she was most likely getting ready for the same thing.
Dad needs to stay home
F that GHO-- Osprey can hold their own against Bald Eagles!😮
Ospreys get killed by bald eagles
@@aeb4kats not necessarily! The bald eagle has to catch them first and ospreys are better fliers. As in this video: the GHO couldn't catch Iris!
@@artimidz3451 Agree! But I've known of many that have been. Ozzie at Dunrovin is just one.
@@aeb4kats RIP, awesome Ozzie 😢
She came back around with speed and vengeance!! Hopefully she is ok. BUT, once the owl strikes once, it may be back in the future for the little ones!!
This is the first time an owl has struck out at Iris's nest isn't it?
The first time I've ever seen it at her nest. I've been watching for several years now.
Is there a particular reason that owls attack ospreys on their nests for seemingly no reason?
Looking for food to feed their baby owls. Owls eat just about anything and baby ospreys are a specialty to them.
Where was Finn. Does not the male help defend the nest? Especially with that cry.
i hate that owl, poor Iris and future babies :(
You don’t have to like these encounters, but don’t hate on an owl that’s following its needs to eat. A raptor has to eat or else it goes without food longer. This owl could also have owlets it needs to bring food to.
Shining a light on the nest will draw attention of other predators, why do that?
Owls don’t need a light. They have extraordinary night vision.
Where is the male and why is he not guarding her!?😯
They don’t see in the dark, most likely not that close
Did you see that retaliation, though?! Iris doesn't play around! Finnegan, get your butt on that perch!
Ghost Rider had an incoming bogey!
I thought she had found a dedicated mate--is she solo again?
Ospreys don’t have night vision, most likely not nearby to come back to the nest.
Where on earth was the New Guy?!
Ospreys do not see very good at night... and also if they could... an osprey never will beat a GHO. A GHO is much stronger with his beak than an osprey... unfortunately...
Poor Iris.... but,when there are GHOs nearby... i hope her eggs will never hatch... The chicks would be taken by the owl then... Lake Murray osprey has the same problem.. Last year it took 2 chicks... This year last night the youngest chick... Cowlitz osprey nest has good protectors on their nest... since a bald eagle snatched 3 chicks ....
Hog Island too. Ospreys do not even go to that nest anymore.
Dad, where are you!
Go get em Iris. .you are the queen !!
I'm still trying to figure out why that owl attacked her.
Eggs, chicks. Maybe a new adult that thought they could pin her down.
More heartbreak to come...
I hope not. But that owl now has her in its pantry radar. 😣
Poor Iris, but way to go defending ! Does anyone know if the eggs are ok?
This is shocking, i've seen her being attacked by other ospreys before but never a GHO, they are quite nasty owls. She seems ok though, bless her...
hate owls ;(