Northern Pygmy-owl
Northern Pygmy-owl - from the archives
Northern Pygmy-owl - from the archives
It's the little guy/gal again
Another surprise on another gloomy day
Popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl, from January 2015
Yesterday's absolute treat - the size of your fist…
False eyes and real eyes
Northern Pygmy-owl
The size of a popcan
Ferocious hunter, but looking cute
Northern Pygmy-owl
Way, way up
Same tiny Northern Pygmy-owl
Yesterday's treat
A distant Northern Pygmy-owl
A blast from the past
Northern Pygmy-owl, one year ago
One year ago
Vole brains for her afternoon snack
Fond memories of a popcan-sized owl
A tiny owl from the past
Nature Calgary 2016 calendar
Puffed up for warmth
Northern Pygmy-owl from January
Did anyone see what I caught?
Northern Pygmy-owl on snowy branch
Eyes like Licorice Allsorts
Popcan-sized cutie
A backwards glance
Northern Pygmy-owl
Northern Pygmy-owl
Looks a long way down from up here
Northern Pygmy-owl
Tiny, bright-eyed Northern Pygmy-owl
Transformation of a preening owl
Hiding in a cavity
A surprise to all
The sacrifice made by Meadow Voles
Close watch
Getting ready to dive
High on the hill
Two of a kind
On a fence post, but no Vole
Northern Pygmy-owl with snack
Coughing up a pellet
A good stretch of the legs and wing
Northern Pygmy-owl from January
Tiny predator with prey
Just a different perch
Way, way up
It's mine!
Irresistibly cute
Like finding a needle in a haystack
Yesterday's well-earned treat
Temporarily puffed after preening
A ferocious hunter, popcan-size
A tiny, ferocious hunter
False eyes
My sincere thanks
Every creature has to eat
Looking for its next meal
How cute can you get?
Concentration
Precious
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I spy with my little eye
I'm posting this photo just for the record, to remind me of this sighting. The only photos I took that morning, 26 November 2017, are all fit to be deleted. On a walk in Fish Creek Park, there were many good pairs of bird watching eyes, but it made me happy that I was the one that spotted this tiny, fist-sized Northern Pygmy-owl - doesn't happen very often, ha. This photo is fully zoomed and then cropped, as the owl was so far away. A bit further on our walk, we spotted a second owl, again very distant and on the far side of the creek.
Hold up your hand in front of you and clench your fist. That is how big a Northern Pygmy-owl is : ) They are beautiful, cute - and ferocious hunters. Sometimes, you see a small cluster of dead leaves or a wasp's nest hanging from a distant branch and your heart starts to beat faster with excitement. Then, usually, comes the disappointment when you realize that it's not a tiny Northern Pygmy-owl after all.
"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. They also love Meadow Voles.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id
"This Northern Pygmy-Owl appears to have eyes in the back of its head. But why? One theory is that large false eyes may create the illusion that the owl is much bigger than its 6 and 3/4-inch size. A more current theory is that the false eyes help protect the pygmy-owl's true eyes. Small birds will mob this diurnal owl, even striking it, directing some attacks at its eyes. If the large false eyes can take the brunt of these attacks, little harm will come to the Pygmy-Owl's vulnerable true eyes." From birdnote.org.
birdnote.org/show/pygmy-owls-false-eyes
The only other bird I tried to photograph was a Pileated Woodpecker, working hard at the base of a tree, and hidden in the long grasses. All those photos are waiting to be deleted.
Hold up your hand in front of you and clench your fist. That is how big a Northern Pygmy-owl is : ) They are beautiful, cute - and ferocious hunters. Sometimes, you see a small cluster of dead leaves or a wasp's nest hanging from a distant branch and your heart starts to beat faster with excitement. Then, usually, comes the disappointment when you realize that it's not a tiny Northern Pygmy-owl after all.
"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. They also love Meadow Voles.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id
"This Northern Pygmy-Owl appears to have eyes in the back of its head. But why? One theory is that large false eyes may create the illusion that the owl is much bigger than its 6 and 3/4-inch size. A more current theory is that the false eyes help protect the pygmy-owl's true eyes. Small birds will mob this diurnal owl, even striking it, directing some attacks at its eyes. If the large false eyes can take the brunt of these attacks, little harm will come to the Pygmy-Owl's vulnerable true eyes." From birdnote.org.
birdnote.org/show/pygmy-owls-false-eyes
The only other bird I tried to photograph was a Pileated Woodpecker, working hard at the base of a tree, and hidden in the long grasses. All those photos are waiting to be deleted.
neira-Dan has particularly liked this photo
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