Northern Pygmy-owl

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

And we are back to winter once again - it snowed the night before last, 15/16 March 2015. Just when practically all the previous build-up of snow and ice had melted.

This photo was taken on 3 February, when I called in at Fish Creek Park for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. I was lucky with both - some of the time there were just three of us, watching and photographing this tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl (uncommon in Alberta). It gave us a few good views, including when it flew down to the bushes right in font of us (love it when that happens!). This photo shows how focused the tiny owl is when it's hunting. The EXIF data for this photo gives Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm. There had just been quite a few days that there had been no reports of the owl, so I always felt very fortunate if it appeared when I was there.

"The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl