Tonight, I arrived a little late and found the female had already flown out and was sitting on her favorite perch for preening. She soon made her way to The Loch, where I lost track of her. She looks to be more relaxed than when she first lost her nesting cavity.
While she’s settled down in a single cavity, she seems to be exploring the world around her. Tonight it was due east. She moved in 30 foot spurts and I lost her after about half an hour.
Tonight, I arrived after fly out and got to see the female for only about two minutes before she took off across The Pool. Despite trying, we didn’t relocate her. It’s hard to locate a quiet owl.
Tonight, I played a hunch that the female had moved to a Black Locust tree that had been used a few years ago by the owl pair in 2007 after they moved out of the Willow.
I must have learned how to think like an owl, because she appeared right at dusk. I was happy for her, since I suspect she got some rest. The cavities she been using around Glen Span Arch, require her to be alert during the day.
After her fly out, she went to a nearby tree, then to a tree on the shore of The Pool. Quickly she went across the Pool, to the north shore langing on a Sweet Gum tree, and then to a tree across the foot path where she preened. Then she went to the down near the ground and I lost her. She may have been hunting or making her way up the Great Hill.
She made no calls while I was there. I lost her after about an hour.
I certainly hope that the owl tour scheduled by the parks department or any Birding Bob tours, don’t use owl vocalizations over the next few weeks. The female is finally starting to settle down and get used to being a widow again.
I went up to the North Woods to see how things were going for our single girl. She was in a high hollow stump that she had used a few months ago. It had been sunny out, but started to rain. She moved to a nearby branch.
Maybe because of the rain she seemed to be in no hurry. I was by myself, without my usual camera gear or binoculars, but managed to quietly keep up with her for over two hours.
At first she stayed near the cavity and took her time preening. Then she made a few trills.
She surveyed the area east of the pool, sometimes just seeing the lay of the land, and other times hunting. She went to the ground a few times, and one occasion hopped around a bit, as though she was trying to catch a rodent but was missing it.
Eventually, I lost her as she went of the stream that feeds The Pool.
On a wet afternoon and early evening, we found the female at Glen Span Arch. At fly out, she went to a nearby branch and then went from tree to tree in the area east of the West Drive from 104th to 102nd.
She didn’t make a sound. It might have been the damp weather, but it seemed as though she knew she was alone.
