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.

Hawk Owls like all owls swallow their prey whole or large pieces of prey depending on what they catch. They are unable to digest bones or hair/fur…over a period these undigested parts are formed into an oval shape pellet then regurgitated or coughed up. Similar to cats coughing up a hairball…you get the idea.

My best guesstimate for the pellet size would be 2+ ins. long…only because I didn’t go to search for it.

From my observations over the years…after a pellet is coughed up its an indication the owl is hungry again and will be actively hunting.

I just happened to be in the right location at the right time.

Another day another Northern Hawk Owl…only problem it was as I say a “Birders Delight”.
Meaning that it was close enough to recognize but pointless to photograph.

Knowing full well that at some point the owl would become active…just how longer I would have to wait was the question.
Seconds turned into minutes…minutes into hours but I was determined as I had nowhere to be.
Around the three hour mark my patience paid off as the owl became active…moving closer as it tested out different trees from which to hunt.

Bottom line…3 plus hours of patients and determination paid off.