Most of my posts have been about Hoot, but if you have downloaded your free PDF copy of my newest children’s book, you will know FuzzBall makes an appearance. After listening to at least two owlets beg and hunt outside my bedroom window last night around 3 am, I decided to hike over to the pine grove in the Lester Amity Forest right after sunrise where my friends often hang out.
I have learned over the past six months, the owls (parents or young) almost never hunt before sunset, and normally wait till well after sundown to begin their search for food. However, in the morning the youngsters seem to have this schedule:
- Shortly before sunrise: Hide from crows
- 45 to 60 minutes post sunrise: Hunt one more time before their daily snooze
This morning as I worked my way around a huge dead white pine laying on the ground, suddenly less than ten yards away was FuzzBall. Thankfully for a change I saw him before he saw me. I froze every muscle and did not move an inch. For about one minute we stared at each other. When the owl finally looked away, I very, very slowly raised my camera. Just like a swimmer who is under water during a recovery stroke, I kept my arms right against my body. I did not want to startle FuzzBall.
Success! This image resulted.
The young owl let me watch it for almost five minutes before flying away. While I knew FuzzBall had landed only 150 yards distance, I left the pine grove. Part of my earning the trust of these owls is to limit my time. I figured seeing a human at a distance of less than ten yards was startling the bird.
I hiked home arriving before 7 am. The day was still young and I decided to visit an area just outside of Sax-Zim Bog. Remember, birds do not understand boundaries! For those of you who visit this famous birding region, great birding opportunities exist near by. As noted … birds do not recognize map boundaries!
I have really come to like Harris Road which goes due east from Canyon. The habitat is fantastic, and once past the few farms near Canyon, the region is extremely wild (think north of Isabella). Do not drive past the farms w/o all-wheel or 4-wheel drive.
Here are a few bird photographs from this morning’s Bog trip.
Broad-Winged Hawk
Eastern Kingbird
Young American Kestrel on a Hay Bale
As a fyi … farm fields just after the hay is mowed and before being baled makes for excellent birding. All the bugs that were hiding in the hay have lost their primary cover, and the birds are very aware of that fact.
