As I arrived on the beach, stylishly outfitted with ice cleats and 2 pairs of pants, wrapped up from head to toe, I was immediately rewarded with spectacular sunrise light on the ice formations that are starting to form at the shore.

Two mute swans quietly fed in the shallow water.   Swans live just off the ice edge each winter, and I wonder how they can manage such a harsh existence and still look so calm and graceful.

At this point the ice volcanoes that Presqu’ile are famous for are just beginning to form.   It will take successive days of wind and waves to gradually build them up to the spectacular heights they have achieved in previous years.

Looking south from Owen Point, Gull Island lies across an area of rough ice, frozen absolutely solid and pretty easy to cross with the ice cleats.   Often this time of year one can see thick lake effect clouds hanging to the south as well even though it remains sunny in Brighton.

Here’s what some of the ice formations looked like on my crossing to Gull Island.

Same rock, different light.   There was steam coming off the water as it was still much warmer than the air.

Small flocks of waterfowl feed in the shallow waters around the island and fly away instantly when I approach.  Lots of waterfowl means good eating for Snowy Owls.   And of course you know that is why I was really walking out there in the first place.

As I rounded the bend on the island there was the unmistakeable form of a snowy owl, sitting up on a wooden frame of an old duck blind.   This is the first Snowy Owl I have seen this winter.   This year has not been a big year for snowies coming south from the arctic, but some usually do.  I just had to wait a little bit longer than usual this winter.

What a beauty!  This is a young one, based on all the dark barring.   This photo is cropped heavily, as I gave the owl lots of space as not to disturb it.   When I am photographing owls I usually sit down on the ground a distance away from them and stay as still as possible.   Then I get to watch them behave naturally.   This owl barely even looked my way, even when the log I was sitting on started to slip down the little hill I was sitting on, causing me to tumble towards the shore.

Eventually the owl preened its feet a bit, pooped, and then flew off to spend some time on the ice.   Once the lake freezes over more it will be increasingly hard to spot the owls.

Can you believe it, just sitting out on the ice like that?   Well that is where I left this beauty, and I was back in my car by 9:00 AM.   Great start to the morning.

Happy winter!

Thanks for visiting.

The post Good Morning Gull Island appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

It’s been another great winter for Snowy Owls here, and treks to the islands out in Lake Ontario to see these mysterious beauties never fail to reveal something special.

Sleepy Snowy Owl on Wolfe Island

Why do Snowy Owls like islands so much?   A few reasons.   First of all the islands out in Lake Ontario are flat, with many open areas like the tundra the Snowy Owls like so much in the north.   Also, food availability is high, since the islands seem to have high populations of voles and mice on land, and ducks out in the water.

In our area, Wolfe Island, Amherst Island, and Gull Island have all been excellent for finding Snowies.

Long staying Gull Island Snowy Owl heading out over the lake

Early in the winter, trips out to Gull Island at Presqu’ile Park allowed me to watch this beautiful, reliable Snowy Owl go about its daily routines.

Hello!

Snowy Owls arrive at Presqu’ile around mid November, and are fairly easy to spot against the backdrop of grasses until Lake Ontario becomes covered in ice.   At that time the owls tend to sit out on the ice far away and are much harder to spot.

My friend photographing Snowies on Wolfe Island

Later in the winter Wolfe Island and Amherst Island are great bets for seeing Snowy Owls. Both Islands require a drive towards Kingston, and a short ferry ride.    Those trips are great to do with friends, to make all the driving more enjoyable.

Not sure what this is?

Wolfe Island- A Blue owl?

We made a couple of really interesting finds on Wolfe Island.   First of all, we saw this owl with blue all over its wings.   Upon investigation, we found out that “airport owls” – ones who hang around at airports, are often marked with blue before they are captured, banded and released in another area.   So although all of us thought there was something wrong with our cameras, that really was a blue owl we were seeing!

Owl and deer

Another thing we found was an owl sitting on a fencepost right by a herd of deer, totally unperturbed.   Even more astounding was when the owl stayed put as the deer leaped over the fence one by one, right past it.

No big deal

Rooftop ornamentation

Yes, it’s what you think

Amherst Island, where owls roost on the top of people’s houses it seems, is closer to me than Wolfe Island, so I made it out there quite a few times this winter.

Look what’s by the ferry landing!

I love Amherst Island!

Hunting from a fencepost

The best time to go there to see owls is early morning, or the couple of hours before sunset.

Little white lump

The rest of the day the owls tend to hunker down on the ground and are difficult to spot unless they happen to be near the road.

Trying to camouflage…

But if you get there at the right time of day, you will certainly be treated to a great show- owls hunting, screeching at each other, even fighting brief arial fights for territory.

Early morning hunt

Snowy Owls will be around roughly from mid November until the end of March each year.    If you have never tried looking for them, grab a friend, and head to the islands!

Happy Spring!

The post Owls and Islands appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Get it out!

What’s this owl doing? It’s regurgitating a pellet.   Owls regurgitate pellets about once a day, usually from a favourite roost.   They just open their mouths wide, make a terrible face, and push them out.   Bleh.  Why do they do this?   And what’s in a pellet anyway?

Barred owl just about to swallow a vole- all  in one piece.

Unlike us,  owls do not chew their food.   Instead, they swallow their prey whole.

The tail goes down last.

Their stomachs have two parts.   The first part is the proventriculus, which produces acid, enzymes, and mucus.  This part begins the process of digestion of the prey.     The second part of the owl’s digestive system is the gizzard.   The gizzard acts like a filter, catching indigestible  parts of the prey like teeth, feathers, bones, and fur.    The gizzard compresses these indigestible bits into a pellet, which will be regurgitated several hours after the owl has eaten.

Getting Ready…

When I found this Snowy Owl it was making the weirdest faces.    What I soon realized was that it was getting ready to expel a pellet.    Since the pellet partially blocks the owl’s digestive system, it needs to get rid of it before it can eat again.

Snowy Owl regurgitating a pellet

If you find a pellet you can take it home, take it apart, and find out what the owl has been eating.

Do I do this?   Yes.   Of course.  I’ve brought home lots of pellets.   I also collected Barred Owl pellets and brought them in for my Grade 2 students to dissect.   They were engaged and focussed for 90 minutes.   Just so you know, that is unheard of!

The Queen’s favourite roost.

In my last blog I wrote about my favourite Snowy Owl, the Queen of Gull Island.   She likes to sit on a duck blind for much of her day.  Sure enough, I found pellets scattered on the seat and floor of the blind when I looked in there.   I wrapped one up in a Kleenex, slipped it in my pocket, and took it home.   The only tricky thing was remembering which Kleenex it was wrapped up in, so I would not use it to blow my nose when I was hiking back to my car.

Snowy Owl pellet with feather and a whole lot more inside.

Here’s the pellet I collected the other day.   You can see feathers from the waterfowl this Snowy Owl hunts, as well as little bits of bone.

Jawbones, teeth and ribs of a little rodent.

Taking it apart revealed rodent jaws and teeth.   There are a lot of mice on Gull Island.

What did YOU do on Saturday night?

Here’s the mess I made.

An elusive Screech Owl

A pellet also revealed something fascinating about the elusive little screech owl that lives in my neighbourhood.     Last February I heard a huge disturbance in my backyard, birds squawking and going crazy.   I went outside and saw a Screech Owl roosting in a red pine tree.  By the time I got my camera it had flown away, but it left a pellet below its roosting spot.

No, it is not fruit and nut bread. It’s a Screech Owl Pellet.

I dissected it, fully expecting to find bones and teeth and fur of rodents.   Interestingly,  it was full of small pebbles, and the exoskeletons of some kind of invertebrate.   No fur, no bones.

Unexpected contents: pebbles and exoskeletons

Screech Owls have a really varied diet and are little opportunists.  My best guess is that the pebbles and exoskeletons I found in the pellet were from caddisfly nymphs who live in our backyard stream.

Caddisfly nymph covered in pebbles. Image credit: Bob, Aquatic Insects of Virginia

These little aquatic insects coat themselves in pebbles, sticks, and other bits and pieces from the stream bottoms where they live.   Good camouflage and protection for them- but apparently not good enough to elude the crafty Screech Owl.

What has this Barred Owl been eating?

Though the Screech Owl’s diet was certainly interesting, it wasn’t 100% surprising that it was finding its prey in the water.    When I collected this Barred Owl’s pellets and gave them to my friend’s little boys, they found crayfish exoskeletons in them.

Snowy Owl with Common Merganser for Dinner

Owl pellets give us clues about the lives and habits of owls that we might not ever have known about otherwise. If you find one, you have probably found an owl’s favourite roosting spot.   If you like, you can take the pellet home and dissect it.   Put out some newspaper, get some sharp tools to pull it apart with, and see what’s inside.   You might want to give the pellet a day or two to dry out, but don’t wait too long, or forget about it, as it will get moldy (maybe I’ve done this…).

Little balls of fun!

Sources:

The Owl Pages

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The post Owl Pellets appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

This morning I got up early and headed down to Presqu’ile Park for a hike out to Gull Island.

Right now, Gull Island looks like this.  Required footwear for the hike varies, but today it consisted of tall rubber boots with ice cleats strapped on to them.    A very fashionable ensemble.

Hiking out the the island I am never alone, as the lake is teeming with waterfowl such as these little Long Tailed Ducks.

And mallards….woah, look out behind you!!!!

Each year, a female Snowy makes Gull Island her home.   I don’t really know if it is always the same one.    But I do know that many Snowy Owls enjoy winter territories around the Great Lakes each year.    It’s the easy access to waterfowl that keeps them coming back.

Today I initially found the Queen sitting on a duck blind.   Isn’t it nice of the park staff to set these up for her?    She checked me out, then fell back to sleep.

Snowy Owls are wild, and do not tolerate people if we get too close.   I have learned to stay far back, stay still, and then the owl will just go about its business instead of flying away.    My long lens helps, as does heavily cropping photos when I get home.

I always take a plastic garbage bag in my backpack so I can sit down on it and wait, and watch, without soaking my pants.   Eventually the owl took off right over me to go hunt over the lake.

She flew back to the island and landed on the “Access Prohibited” sign, then gave me a little wink.   OK, I am anthropomorphizing here.   Again.

After swooping down over the island looking for rodents she landed back up on a post.  I love how her feathers were blowing in the wind, and how I can see the fuzz on her face when she turns sideways.  Once again, I waited to see what would happen.

Off she flew, right over me! What a beauty! New Year’s Eve is always kind of like Thanksgiving for me.   I look back on the year, and think about all the things I am thankful for.

I am so fortunate that I live in such a beautiful part of the world, where I can visit wild creatures like the Snowy Owl who fill me with such awe.   I can’t think of a better way to spend the last day of 2015.

Thank you for sharing my journey with me, and Happy New Year!

You can subscribe to my blog by submitting your email address under the “Subscribe to this Website” button at the top right of this page.   You will receive an email when a new blog is posted.

The post Queen of the Island: My Favourite Snowy Owl appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Good Morning Presqu’ile!   Oh how I love you!

There are so many reasons to love Presqu’ile Park, no matter when you visit.You can show up early on a hazy fall morning, and observe as Presqu’ile’s beaches and offshore islands start to come alive with sound and activity.

Migrating shorebirds start to wake up, and begin their daily search for food.

If you sit or lie down very still, the shorebirds will walk right past you as they are feeding.   It is endlessly entertaining to watch them.

A fall drive around the park may reveal a Ruffed Grouse, foraging at the side of the road for breakfast.  Look at those gorgeous feather patterns!

As seasons change and the weather turns colder, the park becomes very quiet.    I think winter is when Presqu’ile really shows its magic.

Little by little the lake freezes over.   Depending on the wind and the waves, the lakeshore looks different every time I visit in the winter, and each time is spectacular.Presqu’ile is famous for its ice volcanoes.   When the wind is just right, water from the waves will spray up through these holes in the ice.  I like them best at sunset, when they are lit up like some alien landscape.   Snowy owls love to use the offshore islands to hunt. Even in the dead of winter there is so much beauty to be found at Presqu’ile.Spring comes to Presqu’ile, and with it, the busiest time of year.A walk along the boardwalk in Jobes Woods reveals little sprouts of green, and some unexpected company.Look who’s watching you now!Early spring also brings the arrival of waterfowl, who are great show-offs for their potential mates.   What characters. As the ice moves out of Presqu’ile Bay, huge “rafts” of waterfowl can be seen feeding along the ice edge.Spring also brings bugs- lots of them!   But isn’t that perfect timing? The migratory birds are on their way back north.

Lots and lots and lots of them!.   How exciting to be at the park when the trees and bushes are just full of colourful birds singing and eating and flying about.  I am very grateful to have met some very experienced and knowledgeable birders at the park, who can help me learn about all these birds, their names, and their habits.     The diversity of species at Presqu’ile is amazing!

One day I got stuck out in a thunderstorm down by the lighthouse so went into the duck viewing shelter to get out of the rain.   In the tree next to me were so many different kinds of little birds I could barely keep track of them.   Above is a little Yellow Warbler shaking off the rain.Oh, and “fallouts!”   A fallout is when weather or wind conditions cause many thousands of birds to come to the same area all at once.   I will never forget being at Owen Point early on a May morning this year, and experiencing a fallout of shorebirds.   They were everywhere the eye could see, in flocks in the hundreds, soaring around, and feeding on the beaches.

I think I took over 1000 photographs that day!    It was so great because the Ontario Field Ornithologists Young Birders were at Owen Point that morning too, and this enthusiastic group of young people got to experience this spectacle as well. I don’t think any of us will ever forget it.

Did I mention you could see a fox at Presqu’ile?   And if that’s not enough for you…How about watching a fox walk down the road and then having a deer cross right in front of it, say “Good Morning” and carry on.   Is this the Bambi movie? I don’t know.    Presqu’ile is so cool.On the first hot hazy days of the year, the momma snapping turtles will come out of the mud and start to lay their eggs at the side of the roads.     A couple of years I have been down there on just the right day and seen 4 or 5 of these beauties all in the same trip.  I love their long sharp claws!Of course, Presqu’ile is for recreation too!   Walter loves to swim and run on the rocky beach.    The sandy beach is for the shorebirds, and of course all the campers and day trippers that flock to Presqu’ile in the summer.No matter when I visit, Presqu’ile always has something beautiful to offer.    I’m never disappointed.

Presqu’ile Provincial Park is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, just south of Brighton.   Check it out!

The post Why I Love Presqu’ile! appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

You made it!

Located on Lake Ontario, just southeast of Kingston, this little island is a haven for wildlife.

The Frontenac Two. Don’t know where Frontenac One is.

Every trip to Amherst Island begins and ends with a ferry ride.   It’s only 20 minutes, but there’s always lots to see.

Ferry channel in early March

This time of year, the ferry has to break through big chunks of ice to make the crossing.

Ducks making way for the ferry

Waterfowl live in the channels of open water.  Sometimes you can see a Snowy Owl sitting out on the ice too.   They will dine on the waterfowl if that is on their menu for the evening.

Wooly

The island is completely rural, full of sheep farms and horses.  It is also a paradise for raptors, due to its high vole population. Many birds of prey overwinter here because the hunting is good.  A drive around Amherst Island on a winter day is sure to be interesting. You never know what you are going to see.

Public School Snowy Owl

Snowy Owls pretty much own the island.   The one above likes to perch over the playground at the public school.

Sentinel

This one likes the main intersection.

Fire hall Snowy

The most reliable Snowy Owl is this young one, who likes its vantage point from an old twisted tree behind the fire hall.

What a sight

It’s not hard to find these beauties.  They stand out in stark contrast to the sky.

Relaxing

This snowy looks pretty content.   That’s because it had just finished a skirmish for territory with another owl, and found a nice place to perch.

Hunting

This owl was off to go hunting.

Bald Eagle

A drive around the island can also yield many other spectacular raptors, like this young Bald Eagle.

Short-Eared Owl at dusk

I saw my second Short-Eared Owl ever, just before sunset one night.    I had to decide whether to photograph it, or get on the next ferry back to the mainland.   Well, I managed to do both, but it was tight!

Rough Legged hawk

There are numerous Rough-Legged Hawks on the island as well.  They are remarkably large birds of prey. So far, I have only photographed them from a great distance, but some day I will get lucky. They are gorgeous birds. Red-Tailed Hawks are also numerous on the island, but I do not have a single photo of one.  Someday.

White Tailed Deer

Amherst Island is also a great place to see White Tailed Deer.  We saw this lovely little one just at sunset. Note the grass showing in this photo.   Amazing! Haven’t seen that in a while.

???

Check out this bird.    It was hard to figure out what in the world it was, and what the people were doing out on the ice  on Lake Ontario, south of the island.    After intensive spying with binoculars and zoom lenses, we finally figured out it was a little helicopter, and the people were out ice fishing!   Pretty posh.

Goodbye for now

As the sun goes down, it’s time to catch the ferry and head back to the mainland.  Looking back on Amherst Island from the back of the ferry, it’s so amazing to think that this tiny, flat little island out on Lake Ontario can be such a haven for wildlife.  That’s what keeps me going back!

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Good morning!

It’s amazing to see the difference one month can make.   Winter is a wonderful time to visit.   The peace and quiet has afforded me some terrific opportunities to sit tight and observe the Snowy Owl going about her business.

Ahhh!

In the calm of the morning, with the golden light of the rising sun, Gull Island can be quite lovely.   These days, the crossing to the island is barely ankle deep, and is covered in a thin coat of ice that gauges how much you had for breakfast that morning by how often you break through.

Looking good!

I love to watch her preen her feathers, since it allows me to see her feathery feet and long sharp talons.

I see you.

This young female was keeping a close eye on her surroundings, and seemed to have her eye on the large rafts of Long-Tailed Ducks out on Lake Ontario.

A hunting she will go…

Off she went, and took a long slow flight over the ducks in a big arc.   I don’t think she caught one this time.

No owls here…

Driving out of the park, there was another owl sitting sleeping up in a dead tree!   I have never seen a Snowy Owl anywhere near there before.   They seem to be everywhere this year!

The big snooze

A large seasonal  southerly movement of a large number of  birds is called an “irruption.”   I just learned yesterday that if the birds repeat this the following year, it is called an “echo.”   From what I have read, this year is an “echo” year for Snowy Owls.

Ya, I like it here!

Time will tell whether the Snowy Owls populations ultimately benefit from this huge seasonal migration.    One thing I do know is there is plenty for them to eat at Presqu’ile, with all the waterfowl that congregate there in the winter months, and the voles and mice that live in the park too.

I feel so fortunate that I can visit and watch these majestic birds of prey.  Keep your eyes open- they are popping up everywhere in our area right now!

The post Snowy Owl Morning appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Last Sunday was my first day out at the park after having been away travelling for 3 weeks.   I hadn’t been to Gull Island since early November, so thought I would check for the Snowy Owls that had been reported there.   Sure enough, this young female was staring me down upon my arrival to the island.

Who’s There?

I got to watch her hunt and preen herself.  She was pretty sleepy and relaxed.

Missed a spot

This owl can be identified as a young female by her heavy dark barring.

Looking Good

For these shots I had my camera set up on a tripod and I was sitting on the ground, to try to make my profile as small as possible.

The Stick

This owl then flew to the famous Gull Island stick, upon which owls have been perching for years.   It is one of the highest vantage points on this otherwise treeless island, so I guess they like the view.  This stick is one of the stars of my photo library.

In the forest

On Tuesday I returned to the park, and  found this beautiful Barred Owl in the Woods.   She was quite active, flying from perch to perch and hunting.   Even though the trees are bare this time of year, I love the patterns and colours of the lichen on the tree bark.

Talons

I rarely capture the talons of the Barred Owl in a photo, as they tend to be tucked in under the belly feathers, but in this shot the sharp long talons are showing nicely.

Far away

On Wednesday I took my daughter to the park, and we saw this little owl tucked way back in the woods.   Even though we were quite far away for a photograph, we still had a good look at the owl and enjoyed watching it resting and looking around.

Angel

Early Friday morning I went back to Gull Island to see if I could find the Snowy Owl.  It was great fun to watch her, as she was really busy flying out over the lake and hunting for Long-Tailed Ducks.   I did not see her catch one but she sure was trying.

Wings

Her wingspan is huge- around a meter and a half!

I spy

I did feel like I was being watched as she flew by…

Siesta

I decided to look for the Barred Owl as well, and found this beauty resting in the woods peacefully.   Note the blood on its beak. Must have had a good meal the night before.

Hunting

After a couple of minutes the owl woke up, upon hearing sounds on the forest floor below.

Off

Barred Owls, like many owls, use the “sit and wait” strategy when hunting.   They don’t sit way high up in trees, but fairly close to the ground  ( 2 – 3 meters)  where they wait for movement , then take off to hunt.

Sebastapol Island

Today is Saturday, and my son and I went to Presqu’ile.  We started off by seeing the Snowy resting and preening out on a tiny island in Popham Bay called Sebastapol island.  Far away, but still really cool.

More siesta time

We then quite easily found this Barred Owl in a nice clear spot resting.  Adorable!  A wonderful way to  round off a great week of owling at Presqu’ile.

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Project Snowstorm.

It’s not a plan to make our winters more challenging. It’s a fascinating research project that monitors the year-round movements of Snowy Owls.

Snowy Owl in flight, Prince Edward County, Ontario

Project Snowstorm was started last winter, in response to the historic southward irruption of Snowy Owls.  More Snowy Owls moved south from the arctic than had been seen in 40 years.

Immature snowy owl at Presqu’ile. Note the dark colouring.

Because Snowy Owls live and breed in the arctic, they remain mysterious to humans in many ways.   Some years, like the winter of 2013-2014, large numbers of Snowy Owls move south for the winter months.

Snowy Owl near Wellington, Ontario hunting in a cornfield

Project Snowstorm tries to answer some of the questions we have about these beautiful  and mysterious visitors, such as “Why do they come south?”  “Where did they come from?”  “How far do they travel, how fast, how high, and what paths do they take?”

“Freedom,” a female Snowy Owl with her GPS transmitter. Photo courtesy of Project Snowstorm, Mike Lanzone

Last winter 20 snowy owls were fitted with little GPS transmitters with solar batteries, that  transmitted the owl’s locations to researchers using the cellular network.

“Century” being released back into the wild. Photo credit: Raymond Macdonald, Project Snowstorm

Many of the owls were caught and removed from airports. They were then  banded, fitted with transmitters, and released back into the wild in safer locations.    Once the data began to pour in, fascinating stories emerged about the secret lives and movements of these owls in remote locations.

Millcreek’s movements through Oct. 11. Although his southbound data aren’t expected until Friday, we know he was still in the Ungava Oct. 29 — and is in southeastern Ontario now. (©Project SNOWstorm and Google Earth)

This is an example of the map created by the movements of Millcreek, a Snowy Owl originally captured at the Erie, Pennsylvania airport.   It shows how he spent much of the summer and early fall in the Ungava Peninsula, then started his journey south in late October.

Millcreek’s movements through December 1

This map shows Millcreek’s movements through December 1.   I love how it shows how he followed the north shore of Lake Ontario, right past us.   There was a day in late November where up to 12 Snowy Owls were reported at Presqu’ile Park.  Perhaps Millcreek was one of them.  Yes, this year is another great year for Snowy Owls- many of them have moved south for the winter!   Though the irruption is not as big as last year, it is still quite significant- so keep your eyes open for these beautiful arctic visitors!

Snowy Owl on a hay bale, Wolfe Island, Ontario

I would highly recommend you read more about Project Snowstorm. Many more maps and stories about the owls are there.  Here are a couple of places to read current updates:

Project Snowstorm Blog

Project Snowstorm Facebook Page

Embrace winter!

The post Project Snowstorm appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Before we begin, you must know one thing.  Owls always see you before you see them.

Hello down there!

Well yes, I have been watching you for some time now lady…

Owls are secretive.   Generally nocturnal. They pretty much sleep all day.  In trees. Plus, they have superb camouflage that helps them blend right in with their surroundings.

This Great Gray Owl was roosting all day in my back garden this March.  Look how well it blends in to the environment.

Sitting on the Fence

Grey Morning

This owl was out in plain sight on a small branch by the roadside, but its feathers blended in with the grey snowy day so well that I drove right past it, then did a double-take!

Finding owls is challenging, even when they are right in front of you!

I can see you…

So, lets say you want to go out searching for owls here in Ontario.   Here are some tips to get you started.

Tip #1:   Other birds really hate owls.   So if you hear a lot of angry bird noises in the woods, or see birds swooping down at the same place over and over again, there is probably an owl nearby.

Crow and Snowy Owl

Angry Crow noises were how I knew that I should look in my back garden to see what was out there this spring.   Sure enough, I eventually found the gorgeous Great Gray Owl fast asleep, right over where I keep my bird feeders…

Peaceful Great Gray Owl in my Garden

Crows have helped me find a lot of owls.   They will caw loudly and form large groups to harass an owl.   Once I saw more than 30 crows chasing after a Great Horned Owl.  It was really quite disturbing, but when I got home I read about it and the crows rarely actually hurt the owl- they just want to bug it enough so it will leave their neck of the woods.

After all, owls are opportunistic hunters who go out at night and hunt for roosting birds as part of their evening meal.   Not a good way to make friends with the neighbours.

Blue Jay harassing a Barred Owl

Blue Jays will also loudly voice their displeasure at having an owl around.   In the photo above,  the Blue Jay is in the upper right corner, and the owl is in the lower left corner.   The owl seems to care very little about the noise, and is in the process of falling back to sleep.

Baltimore Oriole Chatters down into Owl’s Nest

Here, a Baltimore Oriole was making a huge racket in the woods, chattering loudly down into a hole an old dead tree snag.   Sure enough, there was something down there to get worked up about!

Barred Owlet Waiting for Food

Wonder what’s for dinner?

Alright, on to owl-searching tip # 2:  Look for owl pellets and whitewash.

Owls will roost in the same place day after day.   As you walk through a forest or field, look on the ground for the pellets the owls have cast- full of the undigested bones, hair, and feathers of their meals.   Also, look for splashes of white poo, more delicately termed “whitewash.”

Barred Owl Casting a Pellet

If you find a pellet, you can take it home and look inside to see what the owl has been eating.   Just don’t do what I did and put one in a plastic bag in a drawer for a month.   It will stink up your house.

Tip #3:  Look on the tops of hydro poles!   Owls use them as vantage points from which to hunt. I could do an entire blog on owls I have found on hydro poles.  But let’s just look at a couple.

Snowy Owl in Wellington

This beautiful snowy owl sat on the same hydro poles north of Wellington, Ontario for most of the winter.

Great Gray Owl on the Lookout

This owl would swoop from pole to pole, in order to look for potential prey below.

Tip #4 isn’t really a tip.  It’s what you need:  Patience and time.  Go outside, look up, look down, listen, you never know what you might find.

If you do find an owl, please keep in mind that you should cause it as little disturbance as possible.    Keep your distance.   Do not use flash photography.  Be really quiet.   You can even sit down on the ground and stay very still- the owl may soon forget you are there and you may be fortunate enough to witness some amazing behaviour.

I end this blog today with a photo I took of a Barred Owl last fall at Presqu’ile Provincial Park.   It was early in the morning and I was walking down a boardwalk through the beautiful autumn woods.  I came around the corner, and this owl was sitting right next to the trail.   I would have had to walk right under it to continue, so I just sat down on the boardwalk as quietly as I could, and watched it for a while until it flew away.   Magic!

Barred Owl, Jobes Woods Trail, Presqu’ile Provincial Park, Ontario

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