Although it doesn’t really seem like Winter…my First sighting of the season is a Northern Hawk Owl.
Interesting…would have expected to find a Snowy before a Hawk Owl.
From Spring through Fall they are in the Boreal Forest…come Winter can be found in more open areas and even have spent the Winter within the City.
Hawk Owls have both excellent sight and hearing and tend to hunt in the daytime…with their main food source being voles. Most commonly seen perched on tree tops which provides a good vantage point to hunt from.
They are cavity nesters…using woodpecker holes or tree hollows and old broken tree trunks.
Like other owls the female being larger than the male…they range between 14 to 16 inches in size.
Other than size they look very much alike…with no color difference.
Great seeing this Hawk Owl…unfortunately the location is less than ideal.
I don’t believe the owl would consider moving to another area even if I asked him/her nicely…I’ll take what Mother Nature provides.
Cheers !
Dennis