A group of four owls was found rousting in an Austrian Pine on Cherry Hill on Saturday morning.  When I arrived in the afternoon, only three were visible.

A squirrel decided to harass the owls, soon after I arrived.  It broke off small branches with pine needles and dropped them on the owls.  Eventually, the squirrel got two owls to move to other trees.  One to a tree in the open, and one to another nearby pine tree.

News of these owls has spread, so I’m posting these pictures.  If you go see these owls, remember that they are day sleepers with very good hearing.  Let them get some shut eye, if you visit them.

Long-eared Owls (LEO) are a special treat in Central Park.  They sometimes are found during spring and fall migration, but usually they arrive mid-winter for a few weeks when there is dense snow further north.

This Long-eared Owl was very accommodating.  It was in a section of a tree without too many branches near its perch. It spent about a week in the same tree and has now moved on.

As we curse all of the recent snow, remember that it can bring Long-eared Owls to Central Park, Bald Eagles to Fort Tryon and Inwood Hill parks (there have been sightings this week), and Hawks to various backyards and fire escapes thought the city.

(These pictures are from January 27th.  I delayed posting them to protect the Long-eared Owl.  It was in a very public place, and would have been harassed if news about its location had been made public.)

After using an alternate cavity for a few days, the park’s last Eastern Screech-Owl was sunning in her usual spot today.  She flew out fairly late and slowly moved through the North Woods.  We were able to track her for thirty minutes and about 250 yards.

After a week where it was difficult to find her, and where a tree was removed very close to her cavity, she was out sunning when I arrived on Christmas afternoon.

After being very quiet the last few nights I’ve seen her, she was very vocal tonight.  A wonderful Christmas gift for me!