Great Horned Owl, Bubo Virginianus

Day 250: My botany partner Joe has sharp eyes, so when I noticed him staring at a large glob of moss in a distant maple in the deep shade of the Chehalis-Western Trail, I knew I wasn't seeing the whole picture. "Whatcha got?" I said. "I think it's a Great Horned Owl," he replied. As the only person of the four of us with any zoom capability, I brought my camera up for a better look. Owl's "horns" were obvious even in profile, and when it turned its head, I could see the distinctive feather pattern around the eyes. But Owl was having a little snooze, eyes closed. I took a series of twenty or so photos, and then we walked on. At the two-mile mark, 97-year old Bronka Sundstrom suggested we turn around before the rain moved in. As we again approached the owl's maple, we saw a crow harrassing the larger bird. Owl was now awake and watching the crow, although it wasn't particularly concerned about it. I sat down on the ground at the edge of the trail so that I could stabilize the camera on my knee, hoping that the owl would turn to face the lens. After several minutes with no luck, I tried hooting. Then I tried cawing. The owl wasn't impressed. Over to my left, Joe was fussing with his phone and eventually brought up a series of recordings of Great Horned Owl vocalizations. One, harsher than the others, carried to our subject and made it turn toward us briefly. In that moment, I snapped this photo which, with the magic of post-processing, I've been able to enhance sufficiently to record the sighting.

Great Horned Fuzzball

Day 143: I had a feeling the Great Horned Owl chicks were going to have fledged by the time I got back down to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, and I was hoping they'd still be staying close to the nest. I was in luck! Although I only spotted two of the owlets today, reports from other observers indicate that all three have been seen, as well as both parent birds.

Still very downy, the young do not fly well for the first two months after leaving the nest. They will be tended by both parents for some time. Their current activity is largely confined to exploration as they hop or flutter from branch to branch. Eating is likewise a principle pastime. For the number of photographers gathered on the boardwalk today, I think "modelling" should also be added to their job description. Is there anything more adorable than a fuzzy baby owl?

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.