On Saturday, due to the mobbing of Bluejays and a Tufted Titmouse, I found a very well hidden Northern Saw-whet Owl. These birds are really hard to find and I was thrilled to be able to find one with the help of the mob! It was tucked deeply in the branches of a tree, and could only be seen from one narrow window.
I only had time to watch the fly out tonight and couldn’t stay to follow it. It was a fairly average fly out, with the owl flying to a tree in the woods between the roost and the Balancing Rock.
The owl perched for about ten minutes before hearing some squirrels “argue” before going to bed. She went after them, and as she normally does she missed them. It was then off to toward to the west.
Just as a matter of etiquette, it’s a good idea to stay on the paths and out of the woods around the roost. Avoid jumping the fences, even the short ones. The owl often keeps track of the rodents around the roost, and if people stay out of the woods, she often will give everyone at the fly out a great show after she flies out. However, if people jump the fences, go into the woods, and rustle the leaves, she often leaves the area quickly.
I watched the Barred Owl fly out for the first time in about a month. The Snowy Owl, certainly upstaged the Barred Owl for the time it was here!
The owl flew out just after Pale Male flew by to go to roost. The owl when to familiar spots, bathing for a minute and then going off to a favorite spot to hunt. It didn’t catch anything, and few off in the direction of another location it hunts from.
It was nice to see the owl was in the same routine it’s had for months. This is the longest we’ve a Barred Owl stay in my memory. I’m going to keep enjoying it, while it’s still here.
Tonight the Snowy Owl arrived at the Compost Heap, but due to the high winds, aborted her landing and when directly to the eastern side of the North Meadow. It was backstop, ground, backstop, backstop, backstop, hunt, eat for a very long time, then some play in a few puddles. Then a puddle in the home team dugout before going out to 1st Base, and then we lost track of her. Similar to when she arrived, she used the infield sand right next to grass.
She took at least an hour to eat the first half of the Brown Rat, but then ate the second half in a few seconds.
She was done hunting and eating her first rat by 9:00 pm. Usually we would have looked for where she went after eating, but it was just too cold with high winds and dropping temperatures, so most of us went home.
Tonight, the Snowy Owl appeared in her regular perch, but stayed in the trees of the Compost Heap for over two hours. I was able to get dinner and return before she left!
She then went to backstop #11 and stayed for about 30 minutes before hunting a Brown Rat almost right in front of us on a park path that leads to the Recreation Center. I heard the rat cry as it was killed.
She stayed on the ground for a few minutes before flying to the infield of ball field 10. I thought there was snow, but it was water on the ground. She took her time eating and finally finished by eating a large piece whole around 11:45. She didn’t do as much cleaning and playing in the grass as she had in the snow, but she did do some before flying off.
The Snowy Owl is very good at adjusting her schedule to avoid people and dogs. She did this tonight by avoiding the Compost Heap area, which has had crowds the last few nights by going directly to the ballfields.
Owl watching takes patience, and an understanding that it might take a few visits to see the owl you’re looking for. It also requires you to take the time to figure out how not to disturb the owl, and can require a commitment of three to four hours for a few nights in a row. Last night, those who were patient, and had learned her habits watched her for over two hours, quietly from a safe distance. She only moved after the Eastern Coyote arrived.
The Manhattan Bird Alert is promoting this owl as an easy thing to go see. On a few nights she has been, but in reality she can be hard to find, and more importantly, it takes effort to watch her without bothering her.
This Snowy Owl is much more difficult to observe than other owls because you can’t see her fly out of roost like you can with a Barred Owl or Great Horned Owl. Watching her isn’t about just showing up at a specific time, at a specific tree.
Bird watching isn’t Pokémon Go. It isn’t about running after something, seeing it, and moving on to the next species. This relatively new Twitter based phenomenon of running after sightings is the equivalent of fast food. Lots of empty calories. One of the great joys of bird watching is observing a species and learning what makes it unique. You can’t do that if you’re rushing around directed by Twitter.
I was sent a sign that is posted near a Snowy Owl location at Jones Beach by Jeff Kraus, created by the North American Nature Photography Association (nanpa.org). It’s recommendations apply to Central Park as well.
It’s possible to observe this owl, while still letting her hunt, eat and live with minimal interference.
