Welcome to the Owl of the Year quarter finals! This is going to bring us down to our final 4 contestants and a place in the community banner.
We’ve got a pair of small yet beautiful owls here. The showier White Faced Owl has been dominating the competition 3 years in a row, and is showing no signs of stopping. It beat Buff Fronted and the Short Eared. Surprisingly it’s only been polling on the high side of average, not breaking into the 50-60 vote range like some others.
That still leaves plenty of opportunity for the Flamulated Owl. With a decisive win over Barred, and a hard fought battle with Sooty, this owl may be one of the smallest in this tournament, but it’s silently eliminating the competition. This could be the real sleeper if it can take down the former champ.
The Scops has brighter colors and more defined features. The Flammy has a softer, fuzzier look, a strong but subdued flame pattern, and the appearance of a much calmer and friendly personality.
This matchup feels very fair, and I’m looking forward to seeing the Scops have to work for this win if it wants it. I always feel the Scops’ inherent good looks let it walk through the first few rounds, but at this stage it gets much harder. But that’s just me looking to keep the game exciting. What really counts is what you think, so let’s see those upvotes roll in for your favorite owl below!
I so wanted Ruru to win this. A smaller, lesser known owl, from a place as far from me as it could get…
But I have to say, out of all 3 years of doing this and even being the person selecting all the photos, this is the first time I think I’ve looked at them side by side and didn’t know how I could justify my initial opinion. Buffy just looked more dynamic and impressive overall here. The first photo with the 2 next to each other and you can see the little eyelash feathers. The dramatic takeoff photo. Just too much to say no to.
I’m always going to love Ruru, and if it would have come up against anyone else, I probably still would have been all in. But losing to Buffy here I can’t be upset about.
The only thing that gets me bothered is after I get a photoset that I think is so good, is what do I do for the remaining rounds it may be in?! It’s a higher level of competition, so how do I top that?! This is a tough game to play! 😟
That’s just a heartbreak in a box! Love me some Ruru but y’all know it’s Buffy’s year now. C’mon. Get Floppy!