Wanna See Some Great Hooters?

I wanted to share some amazing hooters with you today. Hmm... what... wait a sec... the Great WOO wants to tell me something...

OMG, not THOSE hooters... I mean OWLS!!!!

Owls - they're symbols of wisdom and majestic birds of prey, and I personally think they're just one of the coolest birds around! Here in Arizona, we have an amazing variety of owls (over 25 species) including the world's smallest owl species - the elf owl which averages about 5 1/2" tall with a wingspan of about 9" - to the great horned owl which measures about 2 feet tall with a wingspan of up to 55". The Sonoran desert is also one of the warm weather homes of an owl that lives underground - the burrowing owl.

"My" owl appears to have returned for the winter. I was letting the dogs out this morning and saw my winter visitor perched on a chimney at the end of the cul-de-sac. I always get a good feeling when I see him... I'm not sure why, but he's become a welcome friend since the first winter I spent in this neighborhood. He's a huge bird, so I'm guessing he's one of the few great horned owls that have decided to make their home in the valley, and when he swoops from one building to the next, his wingspan and profile are just incredible.

I think part of the reason that I love owls so much is that my mother started collecting owl figurines and home decor items when I was a child. While she still has quite a collection, she no longer collects new items, but I still love looking at her curio cabinets filled with her finds. I also love looking at the many sweet, beautiful, and unique owl creations that abound on Etsy, so I'm sharing some of my favorite "hooters" here with you today!



I'd like you to meet Stewart - he's been a favorite of mine for awhile now - I've even featured him in a treasury or two! He just looks so sweet and serene... You can find Stewart the Owl Vintage Inspired Wool Felt Applique Decorative Doll Pillows at Cuore on Etsy.





This Spotted Owl wood carving is from another one of my favorite shops on Etsy, SandraHealy. If you love animal carvings, be sure to check out this shop for an amazing variety of creatures, hand carved using knives and chisels in a very unique technique - I think they're simply gorgeous!





You may remember seeing this shop, SusanRodio, featured on my blog before - I love her artwork and this ACEO of The Forest At Night is also one of my favorites. I thought it was a perfect selection for today's theme!



I hope your weekend is going well and that you've enjoyed looking at the many beautiful hooters, errr, I mean owls, that you can find on Etsy! Happy Saturday!