Day 116: This was purely a case of being in the right place at the right time. I was passing through a rather dark section of the Bud Blancher Trail when something small and brown flitted across my field of view and landed on an arched branch of vine maple. When my eyes came to rest on it, I said to myself, "That is not a Pacific Wren. It's too big." Carefully raising the camera without letting the bird out of my sight, I zoomed in, but the woods was too dark for me to make out any detail other than a flat face and big eyes. Again, I remarked to myself on the size, saying, "Boy, if that's a Saw-Whet, it's tiny!" I had time for two shots before my little friend disappeared into the forest.
As soon as I arrived home, I downloaded the photos from the camera and enhanced them to bring up the light. Better to shoot dark and get detail than try for a longer exposure which would undoubtedly result in a blurry image! The next step was to refer to Sibley: nope, not a Saw-Whet. The raised eyebrows, the spotted forehead, the barring on the tail, and the slight rufous "collar" told me what I needed to know.
The Northern Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is an uncommon species here. It is substantially smaller than a Robin (6.75" as opposed to 10"), but is stockier for its size. It often flicks its tail from side to side when perched, a behaviour which I noted on this occasion. Unlike many other owls, it is active during daylight hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment