First Winter Owl

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photo courtesy of Dennis Swayze

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

Pelican on the Move

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photo courtesy of Dennis Swayze

The American White Pelican can be found across the Prairies and into Ontario. In the Fall they migrate South to the States and Mexico.
These large bird can often be seen soaring in a group high over-head…even around the city. Many of the ponds that probably have fish within the city do attract Pelicans.

Given their size you may wonder just how they take-off if you haven’t ever seen them do so. Getting air born appears to be a real effort…this all starts with the Pelican running and flapping their big wings. Then with their large webbed feet being used in unison as paddles which gives them extra momentum for take-off.

Something to watch for if you ever have the opportunity.

Worth Checking

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photo courtesy of Dennis Swayze

Sometimes you need just go with that gut feeling…something was telling me it might be worth checking. With that in mind I headed back to the same location as last winter.

Well I’m thinking back to last January and coming across a Northern Saw-whet Owl.
As I mentioned back then they are 6-7 in…a bit smaller than a Screech Owl and half the size of an Northern Hawk Owl.
Although that may not be of much help if you’re not familiar with the Screech or Hawk Owl…so let say a bit smaller than a Robin.

They prefer to roost in confers which provides a safe place hidden away in the branches protected from predators…that would also include humans/photographers.
They can be most difficult to locate and easily missed.

My take away…always go with the gut feeling, what do you have to loose.