A very pleasant and unusual year it seems for Saw-whet owls…like other owls their numbers go in cycles as I understand it.
This may very well be an irruption year for them with now three different owls located.
The Saw-whet for the most part migrate from Manitoba but there are some that winter over.
From my recent observations they prefer deer mice as their go to meal…over a regular mouse.
Have to love unusual years like this…since I can’t even buy a Great Gray this winter.
You may recall the recent photo of the Northern Hawk Owl coughing up the pellet ?
After doing so the owl sat perched for a short period….knowing full well at any moment he/she would take flight in search of a meal.
These owls give little to no indication when they are about to take off…you need to be focused and ready while watching for the slightest movement.
When take-off occurs…it’s hold the shutter down and cross your fingers you’ve picked the best possible spot from where to shoot.
Always difficult to say for certain if a particular owl is a female or juvenile as markings are much the same. Even juvenile males can have the black/brown barring…until they begin to mature and become all but pure white.
Females have thicker, darker barring on the tail feathers (4-6 bars)…most visible when seeing the South end of a North bound owl.
As a general rule I go by mass/size…females being larger than males. Which at times can be difficult to determine…if I’m wrong then so be it.
Never the less it’s always great to see the Great White Owls from the North during the winter months.