Northern Pygmy-Owl

Tags

birding, birds, hunting, Northern Pygmy-Owl, owl, winter

I had been noticing a number of Northern Pygmy Owl sightings in Wyoming via the social media loop. Thus, I decided to head out and look for my own. I went to an area in which I had suspected this fierce, small owl may live. I had heard calls in the springtime for several years but had no luck in finding this raptor. Trudging through the deep snow, I was not seeing or hearing a single bird. I eventually turned around and headed back to the car. Sure enough, silhouetted against the skyline, sat my owl in a dead evergreen. I watched this little owl from a distance as it hunted the edge of an open meadow. I could not believe the speed in which it could fly as it changed it’s lookout. It sat at the top of an evergreen for quite some time and then disappeared deep into the forest out of sight. I was thrilled this small hunter had shown itself to me!

It’s a Bird Eat Bird World

Tags

BUOW, Burrowing Owl, Flight, flying, HOLA, Horned Lark, prey

Young of the Year

Tags

Burrowing Owl, fledgling, Great Gray Owl, Great Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl, nesting, owls, sagebrush, Spring

It has been a busy but great spring, lots of rain and lots of rodents. The excessive amount of rodents has given plenty of food to a variety of predators including our local owls. A number of the nests I have been observing had larger clutches this year having been well fed on voles, ground squirrels, and cottontail rabbits. Great Horned Owls were the first to fledge with late April being the beginning of the exodus from the nest. This bird can be found nesting in a variety of habitats including cottonwood trees, cliffs, red-tailed hawk nests, and evergreen forests. A number of nests I had been observing this spring, fledged a group of four. It seemed I could not go anywhere without running into a family of these beautiful owls.Next to fledge was a family of Long-eared Owls which started setting on eggs by late March of this year. The adults fledged six little ones into the willows surrounding the nest sight making for difficult visuals for photographs, branches being everywhere. Still, with six young, at least one would be more visible than the others allowing for a somewhat clear photo. These small versions of the Great Horned Owl would watch cautiously as I moved around, not turning just their heads but there whole bodies in unison to my movements. Very fun to watch!

I also had the honor to witness and photograph a family of Great Gray Owls this spring. While walking to the nest sight I felt as though I needed to be very quiet and walk gently through the trees so as not to disturb this precious nursery. This large bird can be quite tame and come in very close, seemingly fearless of human presence. On several occasions the female flew silently just over my head to land on a low perch just above me to hunt. It was truly an awesome moment in my life. This behavior of being fearless was almost it’s demise in the early part of the previous century. A nest of three, they fledged in early June. One owlet was in the top of a “leaner” aspen, another on the ground, and the third still lingering in the nest when I left this family.

The last of my owls to fledge is the Burrowing Owl with nine young still in the natal burrow. These young are quite comical and have funny antics as they scurry around the top of the burrow awaiting dinner to be presented to them via mom or dad. They are eating a number of voles with an occasional bird brought in by the adults. Typically the male has been the hunter while the female stays close to the burrow. A transfer of the vole is then made from the male to the female with the female delivering and feeding the young. A sudden call of intruder can be made at any time by either adult which will send the little ones scurrying down the hole into the safety zone. These birds are little gems of our sagebrush areas.

There are numerous owls, adult and juvenile, in this place I call home. Summer starts tomorrow, I hope to continue to photograph a few of these owls as they mature into great hunters of this over-abundance of rodents!

Spring in Wyoming

The calendar tells me spring has been going on for 6 weeks now.  If you talk to a fellow Wyomingite, they may tell you spring does not arrive until June.  If you watch the weather, you may decide spring does not arrive until June.  If you pay attention to the birds, they will tell you spring arrived sometime in early March.  I really enjoy this time of year with all of it’s frustrating weather that can put a damper on being outside and setting up a camera. This morning, May 7, it is snowing quite well outside and it is predicted to turn to rain as the day warms up.  I, of course, am hoping for a little break in the clouds in which a bit of sunshine will shine on this fresh frosting of snow.

I like to start spring with the Greater Sage Grouse strutting on their lek.  I was hindered slightly with the deep snowpack this year but I did get a chance to watch and photograph these birds on a number of mornings as they performed their annual mating dance and the antics that go with this ritual: chasing, fighting for dominance, indifferent hens, etc.  The snowpack was difficult at times but I came away with clean images without a lot of clutter in the background.  I did discover, the birds do not like strutting in a 10″ layer  of fresh snow.  I was disappointed on this particular morning, as the sun rose beautifully and the light was incredible.  All was in place for good photos except: I had no birds.  They made an attempt but then decided to go about their other daily business leaving this photographer to head home.

During this same time period I had been watching several nesting Great Horned Owls. I was determined to capture an image of a particular nest with an owlet sitting on the lip of the cavity. I have been working on this image for a number of years; my timing has always been wrong. This year I discovered the young owls were about a month ahead of where I thought they would be. I rearranged my schedule for fear of the two, young owlets fledging the nest any day. Despite the weather (the weatherman forecasted wind and cold temps), I arrived early to the site in hopes of getting a morning break from the wind. No luck! The weatherman was correct, windy and cold. I dressed warm and arrived just before sunrise. The owlets had not fledged but they were napping, I waited them out. I briefly stepped away to warm up during a large, cloud- covered moment.  When I returned, there sat a brazen, young owl on the lip of the cavity. Just what I had hoped for! I took a few distant insurance shots and then slowly moved into position. It could not have been any cuter! A photographer’s high was happening!

Spring continues on with crazy weather but it does not stop the birds.  When they decide it is time to nest, they nest. A week later, I had a morning in which the spring weather was great; calm, warm, and sunny. I took a drive to go birding and scout a number of nest sites which included a Mountain Bluebird cavity. The Mountain Bluebird pair had returned and were nest building.  The male was present but the female was returning time after time with a beak full of grass or feathers. She was diligent with her task, filling the cavity with nesting materials. I did not stay long for fear of disrupting their nest building. I look forward to their eggs hatching and photographing the constant feeding routine of both parents.

It is an exciting time of year with migration in full swing in Wyoming. I am seeing FOY (First of Year) birds almost every day, such as the lovely Lark Sparrow that did not mind a photographer coming in close for a photo. I do my best to not let the cold and wet weather keep me inside as you just have to “Get out and go for it” or you may be stuck inside for days. I was told by a wise photographer years ago that there was only one guarantee in this business: You won’t get any photos if you don’t get out and take them!  It is so true!

 

Juvenile Great Horned Owl

I was asked recently how I knew this Great Horned Owl was a juvenile of the year. It made me stop and think.  I now had to put my observations into words which was a bit difficult as there are a number of things that came automatically that made me think “young bird”; any one of which would not necessarily stand on its own.

First of all, I frequent this particular aspen grove off and on throughout the summer.  I have unintentionally flushed an adult Great Horned Owl on a number of occasions and it flew out of my sight quickly, not to be seen again that day. I knew there was a nest close by but I was unable to locate it as I was adjacent to private property. This young owl did not flush immediately but seemed to take an interest in me and had little fear. It was also very alert and paid attention to the goings-on around it. I found it on several occasions sitting out in the open on a lower branch or stump.  I would say an adult Great Horned would find a quiet, hidden spot in the trees to roost for the day and try not to be detected by alarmist birds such as the American Robin.  Also, the young owl’s  feathering was clean and all primaries and tail feathers were lined out nicely with no ragged edges. It looked as though it had an entirely new “coat” of feathers which would be true of a September juvenile.  I also took a good look at my photos upon returning home and could see the feathers around the eyes were not fully developed. The final clincher, which did not happen until later in the second morning of watching, was a juvenile begging call.  The call is a “squawky- screech”; nothing that sounds like a typical owl hoot.

I did have the opportunity to watch this young bird (from a respectable distance) for a number of hours on several mornings.  This time is when I learn the most and really take in some good behavior which becomes imbedded into my brain subconsciously making it difficult to describe “How I know”.

The Ultimate Compliment

I was out birding this morning and came across this beautiful Great-horned Owl.  It moved around a bit in the aspen grove looking as though it was trying to hunt but didn’t seem overly disturbed by my presence.  It finally settled on this fallen tree for a roost site.  I decided this bird to be a young-of-the-year owl with it’s fresh looking plumage and it’s curiosity and tolerance of this photographer.  I always try to disturb my wildlife subjects as little as possible as I like to document natural behavior.  This young owl paid me the ultimate compliment by falling a sleep in front of my camera lens.

Greater Denver Audubon Photo Contest

I sent several images into the Greater Denver Audubon Photo Contest-Share the View last fall.  Three of the images made the top 250 photos and will show up on the front page of the contest’s website.  Here is the first of the three, “Life on the Edge”  (The Squirrel and the Owl) scheduled for Tues. March 26, 2013.

http://denveraudubon.contestvenue.com

Bad Hair (Feather) Day

The Great Gray

Some days are just magic in Western Wyoming!   I am always searching for subjects when I am outdoors, whether it be driving, walking the dog, or out purposefully looking for a subject to bring into my camera’s viewfinder.   It was a casual Saturday morning when I headed out for a stroll with my independent dog.  As I walked, I tried to watch the trees and brushy areas looking for birds as well as keeping an eye on the wear-abouts of my canine friend.  Sure enough 20 feet high in an aspen is a beautiful owl just above the trail.  I stood with mouth agape!  Not a Great Horned this time but a Great Gray; a seldom seen resident.  I watched it for a bit and vowed to return later with my camera in the hopes that it would move to a more scenic and well lit tree.

I found the bird in the evening on the top of an evergreen tree obviously in hunting mode.  This time I was prepared with my camera and kept a distance as to not disturb his concentration.   He? quietly came off of the top of the tree, hovered momentarily over the snow and dropped to the ground.   Tucking his head to his feet, he came up with a rodent which he devoured quickly.  Back to the top of the tree to continue hunting; the next drop put him about 50′ in front of me and he mantled over his catch for several minutes before pulling up another rodent; down the hatch in 4 gulps. By this time the light was fading fast and I left him to continue hunting in the dark. I returned for the next several days, watching and photographing this amazing owl.

The Great Gray is known to be our largest owl in size but considering its hefty layering of feathers it is not the heaviest, this honor goes to our Great Horned Owl.  The two are easy to distinguish, as the Great Gray has a round, dish shaped face with smallish eyes; the Great Horned has two ear tufts (actually just feathers) which are almost always visible.  Great Horned Owls have much larger eyes and a fierce looking face.

Great Grays are known to nest in the coniferous forests of the area but are seldom seen.  They eat small rodents with pocket gophers being one of their favorites. Prey can be inaccessible in deeper snows thus some individuals will disperse short distances to lower elevations in the winter. I believe this was “my” bird.  He has not shown himself for several weeks now but I will continue to search the trees and brushy areas while walking my dog hoping to catch another glimpse of this beautiful owl.

The Owl and the Squirrel

Nature presents itself with unusual (or maybe not so unusual) events all the time.  It was a cool, Saturday morning in which I walked my dog through our small, town park.  This park is really special; it has a wild area which is utilized by a variety of wildlife.  On this morning I came across a Great Horned Owl sitting on a dead limb very much in the open and quite photogenic.  Never one to miss photographing an owl, I continued to walk my dog home and returned shortly with my camera.  The owl was still in place and not disturbed by my presence.  I took a number of photos and then sat and observed as a variety of birds came by and let the owl know what they thought of his roost site.  The owl barely blinked.  I heard a red squirrel chattering his discontent and it seemed to be getting closer.  The owl was watching this squirrel, and low and behold, the red squirrel shows up in my viewfinder, just inches from the owl.  I started hitting the shutter button, checked my exposure, and tried for a bit more depth of field to get the squirrel and owl sharp.  The squirrel actually gave me about five good attempts.  All I could think of was this must be a crazy, Xtreme Sport red squirrels like to play; I call it “Touching the Owl”.  The squirrel survived and continued to scold the owl after returning to a tree a bit farther away.