With the coming of Spring … still some time away in the Northwoods given the snow still present, young first year owls have been kicked out of “birth” territories by their parents. I have been finding Great Gray Owls in unexpected places over the past week. I am almost certain these are yearlings (first year birds) who must now find their own territories and get on with life.
Late Friday afternoon I found a Great Gray Owl hunting over two hours before sunset on an extremely bright, sunny day. This would normally be unheard of for this nocturnal bird except for these important reasons:
- The prior 48 hour’s weather included 25+ mph winds (horrible for hunting)
- This owl is a youngster and not yet a expert hunter
Thus, hunger trumps hunting at night. This owl was hunting a roadside where much of the snow had melted, unlike in the deep woods where the snow depth is still one to two feet. It was a magical time, and I maintained my social distances! Over the course of 45 minutes, I watched the owl from as little as 10 yards distance. It repeatedly plunged to the ground, but was never successful … darn … seriously I hope it does not starve.
There are a lot of photographs associated with this post, but they show many aspects of Gray Gray Owl behaviors while hunting.
The Look You Have After an Unsuccessful Hunt
The Intensity of the Search / Hunt
Attack!
A Full Attack and Failure (I was totally convinced the owl had made a successful capture after this attack. It sat on the ground for 20 seconds … starting down. Unfortunately, even with an initial successful capture under the long grasses, the bird needs to make the transfer from talons to beak. I think this part of the hunt is what failed, and the vole escaped)
Crows in the Area (Great Gray Owls will stretch out long and try to look like a tree trunk when a threat appears)
One Last Great Gray Owl Photo … the Hunting Grounds
