Owl Eye Issue 7_int

Jani Ylikangas - Photography
It all started when an intruder showed up at a forest clearing where the other owl had spent most of the
winter hunting for voles. As one owl was roosting on a dead tree the other started to fly fast towards it as if to attack
at full force. The owl roosting took a pose where its wings were behind its back and feathers fluffed. Basically it was in
no position to defend itself but rather just giving a big and powerful image. The attacker dived fast towards its target but
at the last minute spread its wings to break the speed. Then the owls grabbed each others feet and beaks and started to
wrestle in the air. They spiraled downwards until one of them gave up. Once they had repeated this exact same sequence
three times the intruder gave up and left the area.
The Fight of Torpedo Owl
All photos and story narrative by Jani Ylikangas
Jani Ylikangas is a photographer in Finland who manages the Torpedo Owl Page. The Idea for naming this
Northern Hawk Owl ‘Torpedo Owl’ came from his famous shot of her with her wings pulled back midflight.
In this story, Jani narrates his experience with seeing his favorite owl in a territorial battle with another Hawk
Owl - a rare site! Enjoy.
“In March 2014, I got to witness a rare sight - two young female Northern Hawk Owls fighting over winter territory.
As far as I know this behaviour hasn't been documented earlier so I was very happy that I managed to photograph such
magnificently choreographed aerial battle.
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