365Caws is now in its 16th year of publication. If I am unable to post daily, I hope readers who love the natural world and fiberarts will seize those days to read the older material. Remember that this has been my journey as well, so you may find errors in my identifications of plants. I have tried to correct them as I discover them. Likewise, I have refined fiberarts techniques and have adjusted recipes, so search by tags to find the most current information. And thank you for following me!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Great Horned Owl And Chicks, Bubo Virginianus
Day 122: I took advantage of the fact that I was already at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge to attend a workshop, and went for a stroll on the boardwalk. I'd been advised that a Great Horned Owl had a nest with three chicks in a tree near the Twin Barns, so I went prepared to take photos. The site was very easy to find. At least a dozen photographers were crowded onto one twenty-foot stretch of the boardwalk, enormous lenses trained on an object which looked to the naked eye like a stub or knot on an old tree. A bit of bobbing and weaving permitted me to get a clear shot of the parent bird through the tangle of branches, but the young were out of sight in a hole approximately six feet below her.
After photographing the parent, I continued my walk out to the observation platform at the end of the boardwalk, two miles from the visitor center. I saw several Great Blue Herons and a young Bald Eagle en route. When I returned to the area where the owl was nesting, I saw that she had moved to another location closer to the nest and was largely obscured by branches. The bevy of photographers had dwindled to two stalwarts who were hoping the little ones would show their faces. I could see activity in the hole, so took up a position and waited until their heads popped up. A third chick remained out of sight. Satisfied with my day's "bag" which also included a heron, I headed home.
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