Wow, those semi-final matches were intense! There was so much back and forth throught the day.

Snowy and Eagle had a number of changes in position during early voting until Eagle Owl got the advantage and stayed ahead for the final few hours.

Saw Whet and our returning champ, White Faced Scops, battled it out for the whole 24 hours! I couldn’t say how many times each was on top. The Scops had a fairly easy run of things until the little scapper finally made him work for it if it wanted to stay on top. Finally, with just a handful of last votes, Saw Whet held the lead until time ran out. The champ was defeated!

Now is the moment we’ve all waited for, the final showdown of the tournament! One owl large, the other small, but today they are here as equals. Only one of them will be our Owl if the Year though!

Both of these owls have earned their places. Saw Whet became a fan favorite, but had some very close matches, especially considering it had some rather tough opponents at every stage. A last win over the Great Horned Owl cemented this little bird as a true fighter and gave it what it needed to finally stop the Scops.

The Eurasian Eagle Owl was barely slowed down by the even larger Blakiston’s Fish Owl, the former fan favorite Flammulated Owl, and though the Morepork ran a very strong campaign, it wasn’t enough to outshine this massive and powerful owl.

You’ve faced many hard choices up until now, but this may be the hardest yet. It’s time to choose your new champion. On one hand, the mighty mini from the Canadian forests that punches above its weight and has beat all odds. On the other, an owl of undeniable strength and regalness, a true apex hunter. The time is here to decide: who is your new Owl of the Year?

Upvote your final choice now!

#superbowl #owloftheyear2024

  • pseudo
    3·
    12 hours ago

    I’m sad but the saw whet is much worthy of its title.

      • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
        9·
        2 days ago

        I tried to balance highlighting its wee stature while also keeping it large enough to see how cute it is! 😅

      • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
        6·
        1 day ago

        I thought their enclosure was empty the one time I got to see some. In my third it forth look, I finally found 3 of them picked into the back corner. Pretty much all I saw was 6 beady eyes watching me! 👀👀👀

    • aasatru@kbin.earth
      4·
      2 days ago

      Real David versus Goliath situation going on here!

      In that last one it looks like it’s imitating the Eurasian Eagle. Love it.

      • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
        4·
        2 days ago

        It’s hard to find pics where it actually looks intimidating, but I picked that one and the side-by-side photo one to make it look a little macho like it’s standing up to the Eagle Owl.

        Oh, and he’s back in the lead again now. I hope this one is as competetive as the last match.

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
    18·
    2 days ago

    Both competitors had great match ups last night and really earned these spots!

    They’re both really bringing their best here today, and I hope they make it hard to pick, and they are both truly excellent animals.

    I hope you’ve had a great time participating. It’s been a ton of work, but it’s gotten many new people to comment and share, we’ve gone from almost falling to the third page of top communities to being back on the first. I hope you stick around into the coming year to see more great photos from around the world and get to learn many new things about the amazing world of owls!

    • Nima@leminal.spaceEnglish
      13·
      2 days ago

      thank you for making this instance my absolute favorite. i get so happy when I see these little owls 😊

      • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
        10·
        2 days ago

        It always makes me happy to know doing this makes so many of you feel good.

        I hope you continue to hang out with us, and don’t be afraid to chime in with a comment or question now and then.

        Don’t feel you need to add something witty or smart, just let me know what you like about it so I can give you more of what you enjoy. The owl, the backdrop, the lighting, etc.

    • lemming@sh.itjust.works
      7·
      2 days ago

      It was great, as always. My girlfried said she has to make an account for next year, so we can vote independently :-) Thank you so much for organising it! It was a lot of fun and surprising about of suspense.

      I have just one suggestion. How about including latin names, at least in one place? It would make it easier to find correct local names. At the moment, I’m not really sure about the identities of some of the owls in my language, it would push me to learn them.

      • pseudo
        5·
        1 day ago

        The owl of the year is a great door to the fediverse. I have been using my alts to account for my family’s votes.

      • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
        8·
        2 days ago

        Oh my, what an oversight on my part! That is an excellent suggestion. Here is a list so you can find any you’ve been wondering about.

        List of Owl Species w/ Latin Names

        I’ve been thinking about getting some things like this together to add to the sidebar, and that is a real good one.

        The owls look forward to her votes for next year!

        • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
          10·
          2 days ago

          You just accidentally reminded me that all the countries’ wikis are not direct translations from one source.

          For fun, I just went to the French page for the Eurasian Eagle, and amongst other things, it gave me some French laws concerning the EEO, the department in the government that handles raptor licensing, and this cool French cave art of a horned owl!

          As I learn where some of you are from, it makes me want to do more internationally focused things, and this could be a good way for me to find starting points to do that.

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
    10·
    2 days ago

    This year I’ve been dropping downvotes instead of counting them as accidental missed upvotes. It hasn’t affected an outcome one way or another so far, but if this is a close one, it could. Someone’s got a downer on the Eagle Owl, so double check what your finger poked if you want to be counted!

  • Redfox8@mander.xyz
    8·
    2 days ago

    Ahh I’ve missed so many rounds this week, so busy & wiped from work! I missed my Snowy vs Barn owl round, which would have been an impossible choice, and now they’re both out!

    So Saw Whet vs Eurasian Eagle in the grand final, so different yet both pretty awesome looking birds! Do I go with the Snowy-beater as a sign of respect, or against in spite?!!

    Maybe a more fairer approach is needed so some research: “The arrival of a new Eagle Owl in the vicinity causes panic amongst other birds of prey and a general re-arrangement of territories usually follows as its new neighbours try to give it a wide berth.” Now that’s one mean BoP!

    “They prey mainly on mammals, chiefly rabbit and hare, but have been known to take roe deer and foxes which they kill by crushing their skulls with their huge, powerful feet.” Oof, even I’d keep well clear of such a beast!!

    Top points for being the king of the jungle (well forest really!) https://theowlstrust.org/owl-facts/eurasian-eagle-owl-facts/

    So Saw Whet, what’ve you got?

    “Saw-whet Owls may be preyed upon by larger species of owls and hawks. Starlings and squirrels compete with them for nesting cavities and also plunder nests and kill owlets.” For such a teeny owl it’s inevitable to get a lot of greif but you’ve got to be a tough little cookie to not get completely pushed around! Bonus points for taking on the big bad world!

    “A true night owl…When prey is plentiful, they will kill more than they can eat at once, caching the excess in a safe place.” A few extra points for intelligent resource use and tactical survival, I think!

    https://abcbirds.org/bird/northern-saw-whet-owl/

    So does that help me choose…well not much, but good to learn a little more about these big-eyed feathery creatures!

    I think I’m won over by EEOs conquering of snowy, no mean feat, and it’s all round bossing of its territory! I may well have doubts after my vote is cast, but the choice is now made! Go EEO!!

    • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
      8·
      2 days ago

      It pleases me to no end to see someone vet the candidates so well!

      Saw Whet is a badass bird for its size, but the might of the Eagle Owls is undeniable.

      • Redfox8@mander.xyz
        4·
        1 day ago

        You make such an effort in doing this I’m more than happy to support you and join in the discussions. Being the final a little extra effort was made! :)

        Saw Whet’s in the lead as I type, but not by much.

        Some more votes for EEO folks, let’s make it the biggest AND the best!!