Can't Escape the Feeling You Are Being Watched? Great Horned Owl at the Merced NWR

Have you ever had a feeling that someone...or some thing...was watching you? I did the other day at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge. We were there to see what migrants from the Arctic had arrived, but we always watch for owls when we visit as well. Even though it has been dry for these last few drought years, the Bittern Marsh Natural Trail has usually provided views of one or two. The leaves are still on the cottonwoods, though, and so the owls tend to remain well-hidden.

Including this one! I stopped to look around and slowly realized this Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) was over my head and barely twenty feet away. I didn't want to startle it, but I had done so simply walking the trail, so before I could back off, it flew into some adjacent trees.

The owl was more comfortable 150-200 feet away, and I was able to get some decent shots with my zoom lens I guess that both of us were happier that way.

The Merced National Wildlife Refuge is about as ideal habitat for these owls as can be imagined. The pools provide waterfowl as prey, but so do the open grassy fields. Numerous mature cottonwood trees provide cover for nesting and roosting. We almost always see some, although not often close enough for decent pictures.