An "Owl" Kinda Day

I monitor the bird activity at many of the local parks and natural areas on the "ebird" app.  It's a great resource to clue me in on what birds have been spotted around town.  I'm always eager to capture some of the more unusual birds with my camera lens.  Late last March someone posted a photograph of a nest containing two great horned owlets spotted the nearby nature park.  I knew I had to find them.

Barred owl sleeping in a tree

My buddy Kim is always up for a walk in the park, so she and I teamed up for an owl hunt.  From the ebird image one could tell the owl nest was sited atop an unusually curved tree trunk.  Kim and I were frequent visitors of the nature park's trails and knew the place pretty well.  That tree shouldn't be too hard to identify, we reasoned.  Little did we know.......

Who-o's there?

Kim and I started on one end of the park, and began combing its trails.  Not far down our first path we came upon a lady with a long lens pointing upwards.  She informed us there was a barred owl sleeping on a branch above our heads.  Although not the species of owl we were seeking, any kind of owl sighting is marvelous, so I followed the direction of her lens and soon spotted a lovely brown and white owl snoozing in a nearby tree.

I found the Great Horned owlets!

I spent at least 20 minutes watching and photographing the barrel owl.  In time, our voices woke the bird and he gave us a few surly glances, annoyed we'd disturbed his nap.  This was our cue to move on.  We had baby owls to find!

These guys look like muppets

Kim and I ended up walking a large circle, exploring nearly every trail in the nature park, with still no sign of the little owls.  We were next to the very last trail, ready to give up, when a man passed by, and noticing my big lens, asked us if we'd seen the owl nest yet.  When I replied that we'd been searching for it all afternoon, the man told us where to find it.  And of course the nest was on the only trail we'd yet to cover.

Mama owl in a nearby tree

After hustling down this last trail, a crowd of people looking into the forest clued us in that we'd finally found the spot.  And there in the thicket of trees and bushes high in the crook of a large fir tree was the nest.  Lucky for us, the two baby owlets were awake and peering out at the onlookers.

Only one owlet when I returned a few days later

The gray, fluffy babies were cute!  They kind of looked like muppets, with fierce stares.  There was no sign of either parent the entire time.  After a half-hour photography session, the day was getting late and the light had begun to fade, so Kim and I reluctantly left.

Mother owl giving me the stink-eye

Jazzed by this very exciting baby owl encounter, I couldn't stay away and returned just a couple of days later.  This time, the mother owl was perched in a nearby tree, asleep on a branch, and only one of the owlets was in the nest.  Another photographer who happened to be there at the same time as I said she heard one of the owlets had already fledged.  Wow, so soon!  The owlets didn't look old enough to fly yet.

First trillium of spring!

But just two days later I learned via another local photographer that both owlets had indeed left the nest.  I felt lucky to have been able to photograph both babies when they not quite ready to fledge.  It's not everyday one sees an owl in the forest, and spotting a nest with young ones is even rarer.  

Spotted Towhee striking a pose

I'd close this post with a couple photos of other spring finds in the nature park.  Like the season's first trillium bloom and a beautiful Spotted Towhee striking the perfect pose for my camera.  And a shy pond turtle peeking his head up from the water's surface.

Pond turtle

Spring is such a wonderful time of year!  The flowers are blooming, trees are bursting with vibrant green leaves, and the birds are singing happy songs.  And if you're lucky you might just spot a few nests with youngsters in them.