Who are you? Hoot, Hoot,…Hoot, Hoot!?

That may not be exactly how the lyrics go for the Who’s rock anthem, but now you can hum it while you read, as I am while I write……

Owls!

I finally got a legitimate photo of an owl about 15 years ago. It was a barn owl at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. Their docents let you get so close that you can see that the eyelashes of an owl are tiny feathers. This may actually be true of all birds, but I had never really thought of it before seeing the delicate little things flutter before me. I thought, I would love to have that kind of peri-ocular plumage! Just think of the money I would save on mascara.

The barn owl has a distinct face, even among owls, it has a unique look. Gorgeous. Heart shaped!

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

It is really amazing how many different types of owls are all around us. I consider it a privilege every time I see one. I get super excited when I get my act together enough to capture an image that does them justice. Most owls hunt when the lighting is good for them, obviously. Usually, I have put my camera away because the light has diminished to a point where any photo would be grainy……twilight… then you hear it! The unmistakable “Hoot!” 

I have plenty of grainy photos of owls because I feel compelled to still look for them when I hear them. Occasionally, I am rewarded with a salvageable image. A few years ago, while photographing Kestrels in Catalina State Park, this same scenario played out and two Great Horned Owls were talking so much between them that I got some reasonably good photos of them. Then, typically the experience deludes my brain just enough that I convince myself that I can do the same thing again the next night….but better…because I will be smarter the next night. Hmmmm, not so much. But I keep trying.

Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl

The majority of my moose photos suffer the same way. The times that I have witnessed the best moose sparring, (just after sunset in Denali NP) I just have to enjoy the moment, because I am not talented enough to get the photo. The sounds of clashing antlers combined with branches snapping does remind you to keep a safe distance. 

Back to owls, and speaking of Alaska, the Snowy Owl hunts during the day!  They are so beautiful with their yellow eyes sharply contrasting with the surrounding white. The most famous snowy owl is Hedwig in Harry Potter.  Male snowy owls are whiter, and the females are heavier (big sigh). Heavier being about 4 1/2 pounds. Females usually have more black feathers. Arctic tundra is where they are best camouflaged, but they do venture into the lower 48.

Snowy Owl Snowy Owl Snowy Owl Snowy Owl

Actually, thinking back, there are several different kinds of owls that grace the screen in the Harry Potter movies. There are Screech Owls….tiny little cuties! A Barn Owl or two. A clumsy Great Gray Owl is part of the Weasley family. They are the largest (tallest) owl in the world…..but Snowy Owls are heavier. I think they measure the poofy head feathers to make the Great Gray tall, like our tall hair in the 80's added 3 inches. Snowy owls have thick powerful talons, but the Great Gray is kinda weak and gentle for its size….about 3 pounds. Interestingly, as all of these owls look so different, if you google owl skulls, they all look about the same. They all look like the doctor's plague mask worn in the 1350's. Feathers make all the difference for beauty and survival.

Great Grey Owl

The Saw-whet Owl is tiny and only hunts at night. In Montana, where I saw this little guy, most of my photos have it with its eyes closed or half closed. I won’t feature those here because any photos of anything with its eyes half closed in varying degrees automatically knocks off a few IQ points. At only 3.6 oz, the little guy has enough problems. To make matters worse, the Great Horned Owl and the Long Eared Owl are happy to make a meal of him!

Great Horned Owl Above is a Great Horn, and below is the Long Eared Owl. Long Eared Owl Long Eared Owl  

Below is the Saw-Whet Owl.

Saw Whet Owl Saw Whet Owl

This is also true for the little Screech Owl in my neighborhood in Tucson. I see them often on my trail camera in the middle of the night. In the videos, it always looks pretty nervous while it tries to take a bath. It should be nervous because there is a Great Horned Owl that visits as well, but less frequently. I never really knew where the Screech spent his days. But just recently we had an electrician in our side yard and he said, “Did you guys know you have a little owl back here?”…………I did not!!! I’m so excited!

It was the little Screech Owl just hanging out on a rock in the shelter of the weep screed of the stucco. The owl looks huge here, but it is maybe only 4-5 inches tall. I put out some water and a security camera and it sipped and came and went for a bit.

Great Horned Owl

Above is a Great Horned Owl, and below are all Screech Owls. In the last video the owl has caught something and doing its best to subdue it. Screech OwlWas there something in the water? I caught a mouse!

My best photos of the Screech Owls are as the owlets are starting to fledge. Wow, do the parents have to work to keep them fed. So demanding! The adults fly back and forth all night with any number of kinds of bugs, spiders, and mice. They are vicious tiny little hunters.

I love this photo, but it is rather macabre. The astute observer will notice that the mouse has been decapitated. A snack on the fly…..so to speak.

Screech Owl...with most of mouse

This next photo has a cool splash of color. But again, closer inspection shows the red to be a baby Vermillion Flycatcher. It leaves one kinda conflicted. Vermillion Flycatchers are beautiful little birds. On this night I was rooting for the owl. They were working so hard! The circle of life has me less conflicted when it is a spider in its beak.

I suppose all of these owls work harder than I’ll ever know to keep their young alive. I have seen several species of adult pairs hunting. Since they have to be more active, it is a great opportunity for photos.

Screech Owl with vermillion flycatcher Screech Owl with mouse Screech Owl Screech Owl with cockroach Screech Owl with sun spider Screech Owl with 5 spot hawk moth Screech Owl with sun spider

The Burrowing Owls take the prize for the most fun to photograph while hunting to feed their owlets. They are so expressive…. If you have a lens long and fast enough to watch the comedy.

Burrowing Owls near Tucson live in burrows under ground that other animals have dug near the irrigation ditches in farmed areas. Genius!  They move in, as is, and have a cooling system at the ready.

They spend most of their time running around on these long legs. They look like a potato on sticks if you happen to see them on the side of the road or in a field. They are very easy to miss at only about 8 inches tall, and that is mostly legs.

When the owlets emerge from the burrow to steal a snack they look like character actors. The ratio of beak to fuzz to feathers isn’t quite right but it gives each one a unique look for a while.

They can run fast and they can mimic the sound of a rattle snake in the burrow if threatened. That would give any predator pause, I would think.

I have thousands of photos of these guys. They hunt day and night. They are a joy to watch and photograph. I always use a 800mm lens for them, and I still have to heavily crop the images. I keep a distance so the parents will bring home all their goodies. They fly like little boomerangs. Up and out they go….catch a grasshopper…circle back. The owlets mob the parents, and mug them so fast that if you blink you miss the meal transfer. 

This photo is a perfect example. The bird with its mouth open blinked. Notice the sibling running stage left with the goods. The grasshopper looks surprised too.

Burrowing Owl with Owlets

As the Owlets started to learn to fly, they occasionally land indelicately on a sibling. The siblings on the receiving end of any landing failures generally have a variety of reactions. So entertaining! I struggle to edit the sheer volumes of photos that I would love to share, but I will try to keep them at a minimum here. Enjoy!

Burrowing Owl bringing food to Owlets Burrowing Owlets Burrowing Owlet starting to fly

Below, "Gru" in the movie Despicable Me---if he were a burrowing owl.

Burrowing Owl Burrowing Owl with Owlet Sibling Burrowing Owlets Sibling Burrowing Owlets Sibling Burrowing Owlets Burrowing Owl Sibling Burrowing Owlets Burrowing Owl with mouse