2014 nov 30
juvenile great-horned owl with moon in background – taken with my phone!
2014 nov 08 – sunrise
Tomales Bay CA
2014 nov 3 mystery bird of the night
The last few nights, and once about a week ago, I saw a small flying creature flit about well after sunset up in the hills. At first i thought it was a large bat, then considered that perhaps it was a small owl – but neither option seemed to fit the behavior or size. The exposed area and hunting style didn’t match any nocturnal owls that I know of in the area.
Tonight I got my answer – in nearly the same spot as one of my other sightings, again well after sunset, it appeared. Actually, first, I heard it. It emits almost non-stop little squeaks, similar to a small little dog toy being squeezed over and over again. Very faint, but when the bird flies close-by, which it does, it was audible. Tonight I got out my small LED flashlight when I realized the bird had landed on the trail ahead of me – a common poorwill!
The last one that I saw was east of San Jose in the mountains back in the Spring, and I was able to get a much better picture of it at that time (see here). Very cool little creatures! I hope it (or they) survive(s) this area – it’s not easy considering all the great-horned owls who would be more than happy to make a meal out of this little one.
the winter crew has moved in
flock of cedar waxwings stopped to watch the sunset, kindly with a backdrop of the waxing moon behind them. hmmm.
“cedar wax-ing-moon-wings?”
some of the winter migrants have settled in, good to hear these birds’ high-pitched calling again.
2014 nov 2 great-horned owl
got some good shots of this lady as she waited for her mate, who was dozing a bit longer in his palm tree refuge by which she had taken a sit after leaving her day perch. he has a much deeper hoot and a more elongated hoot sequence than her, sometimes beginning with a few subtle, almost grunt-sounding hoots that preface the “typical” great-horned owl hoot sequence. these owls that I have observed the last year have a lot more vocalizations that i have heard in addition to what is typically documented or described in the scientific literature. i suspect they have a larger vocabulary than humans realize, some of it very subtle.
thought I was going to get a nice shot of a pellet barf on this one! false alarm.
rousing and shaking off the sleepy day
some serious tools …. incredible crushing force in these feet in addition to sharp talons.
raven play
Oh to be a raven, even for a moment. Flying, playing, floating, diving, and somersaulting in the air, seeming to defy gravity – or at least be in a satisfying truce with it.
Yesterday they were playing on the updrafts in the strong off-shore winds over the hills by the dunes at Point Reyes National Seashore, and it’s almost as fun to watch as I imagine it is to do. One raven had some sort of stick or bone in its beak, and was teasing and playing “keep away” from the others for a long time. The games and players change and evolve, sometimes it’s just two ravens, sometimes as many as 12 got in on the fun.
Mrs Robert Katz
She’s back in her old stomping grounds …
This bobcat, possibly Mrs Robert Katz (nickname by Mark P.), made a long trail along the lagoons last night – we were able to trail her for a long way. This is a beautiful shot of tracks from all four feet while she was in an over-step walk.
owls under the full moon
Sometimes, things just align … and tonight was one of those nights! I’m still buzzing from my wander under the full moon with the owls. Warm air, mild winds, and an expansive sky filled with ever-changing treasures everywhere I looked.
It started off this evening as a run and a workout, then it turned into a wander as the sun set. I had my bino’s, but not my camera. Sometimes that’s when you see the best stuff! It’s not a coincidence. The camera can be a distraction, and can change the energy of the wander.
With the changing seasons, so too the owls’ behavior has shifted. As I noted in an earlier blog from about a week ago, the owls seem to be more aggressive and vocal right now, and they are active before dusk and don’t seem to mind my presence as much as they had in the past few months. I learned that this behavior is typical for the time of year – this years’ young are starting to disperse from their parents’ territory, and as they do, other owls are advertising their presence in a big way to indicate that their territories are taken and not available to these dispersing youngsters.
Early in the evening, well before sunset, two owls were hooting in a large stand of eucalyptus trees in a spot that until recently there hadn’t been any owl action. I went in to check it out, and sure enough they were awake and ready for the night. The female watched me intensely for a while, then I headed off. I’ve noticed that in the last two weeks a pair of kestrels has also moved into this general area surrounding the grove, and one of them actually chased one of the great-horned owls off a perch as I watched tonight! About 45 minutes later when I came back through the area, the owls had departed and the kestrels were (hopefully) tucked somewhere safe for the night.
I walked up the hill to another grove of eucalyptus trees, which is home to another pair of great-horned owls, to see what was happening up there. The sun had set at this point, and above Mount Tam to the West in the distance, wispy grey clouds were highlighted in vibrant pinks and purples. We don’t have many trees here in the Bay Area that have vibrant autumn leaf color displays of the Eastern hardwood forests – but the evening and morning autumn sky seems to do its best to make up for it.
Not long after getting on top of the hill, the owls’ calls could be heard through the trees. Two of them. They were hooting towards each other, and occasionally one would fly to the other’s perch, and that one would then fly off to another perch … in a continuing series of slow-motion chase.
As I continued on, the owls started to come out into the open area through which I was walking. First, one perched on top of a coyote bush in the distance, silently gliding past me and alighting on the very top of the branches, its silhouette blending into the bush perfectly to the untrained eye. A few moments later I heard the sound of a juvenile owl begging just up the hill, and sure enough a young one was visible perched in a tree just up the slope. It is likely the one offspring of the pair at the top of the hill, the same owl that about two weeks ago I saw practicing its hunting skills and playing in the eucalyptus grove (so cool to see – it seemed to be hunting imaginary prey, or perhaps small insects, as it practiced and played in the grove – leaping off its perch to the ground in an attack, then flying back up to another perch to repeat!). It’s good to know that it’s still alive, but most likely it will be forced out on its own very soon.
Soon the juvenile flew past along the upslope and continued a bit further up until it displaced a third owl from a pine branch above. This young one was hungry, both begging and actively harassing its parents for food. Evidently it didn’t think that adult was making a good enough effort to feed it … which is probably true, as they are perhaps doing a “soft” or buffered ejection effort to get the young one to move on. Soon it might be a more direct action. After some moments had passed, I started walking again.
As I moved along the path, the light suddenly shifted and I turned around and there behind me was the full moon just above the horizon – and what was silhouetted perfectly in it? The juvenile owl!!!!!!! It is a sight that I will never forget. I looked through my bino’s and the blazing full moon was rising and framing the young owl sitting on a protruding branch of the pine tree. Absolutely beautiful. And yes, I was a little pissed about not having my camera!!! But the sight of it was truly enough, an inspiration.
Moving on, about 100 meters up the trail, while paused enjoying the evening, one of the adults perched again nearby on another coyote bush, close enough to see it well in the full moonlight.
Truly a magical night.
what did the young bull elk say to the two ravens?
“yeah, you know, it’s been really hard – I feel like I’m in such a rut.”
(wildlife humor, yeah!)
2 ravens and a young bull Tule elk / Pt Reyes National Seashore CA
It’s that time of year – this bull Tule elk has his harem / Pt Reyes National Seashore CA
winter migrants have arrived
juvenile ferruginous hawk, point reyes national seashore
juvenile ferruginous hawk, point reyes national seashore
great egret and three river otters / point reyes national seashore
adult female northern harrier / point reyes national seashore
a flushed bobcat on the run / point reyes national seashore
owl magic and the waxing new moon
I spent a good 20 minutes following this female from hunting perch to perch in the calm twilight this evening, under the waxing new moon. Autumn magic!! She eventually united with her mate who had been calling the whole time about a 1/4 mile away with his deeper hoots.
golden gate raven
raven perched with one pier of golden gate bridge in background
(is it still a background if it’s water? hmmmm)
protection for wolves re-instated in WY!!!!
I don’t pretend to think this isn’t a delicate and highly polarizing issue, but things are certainly out of hand in Wyoming and a number of other states where segments of the population have basically declared war on wolves since Fed protection was removed. And part of their war involves torturing wolves (and other predators) and bragging about it. The motto “shoot, shovel, and shut up” will still predominate, but this is at least something.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014
Court reinstates endangered status for Wyoming wolves
feralzach 