It's the Owlet Time of Year at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge!

It's that time of year! We've been visiting the Merced National Wildlife Refuge every couple of weeks, hoping (among many other things) to catch a glimpse of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) building and tending their nests, and hatching out little owlets. This last weekend we were blessed to find no less than three active nests with a total of six new owlets.

The owls seem to build their nests and lay their eggs a bit ahead of other bird species. We found two owlets in each nest, although they were sometimes hard to pick out. I had the most success with the video function as can be seen below.
 

I'm glad to see some success with the Great Horned Owls babies! 

Who Knew a Bird Day Would Have Headlines Everywhere? Happy Superb Owl Sunday!!

I know today is Superb Owl Sunday, but I was surprised to see all kinds of headlines about it in the newspaper and on the internet. And I'm really confused about what the San Francisco 49ers have to do with bird-watching. I mean, I could see it if we were talking about the Seattle Seahawks, or the Atlanta Falcons or some such. But in any case, HAPPY SUPERB OWL SUNDAY!

Here are some of my owl shots to celebrate with. The first one is a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). We were at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge where we almost always see some nesting owls at this time of year.

The second picture is a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) that I saw a few years back on the north shore of Turlock Lake, in the midst of the California prairie. They are never abundant in our county

The last picture is a Hawaiian Short-eared Owl, or Pueo (Asio flammeus sandwichensis). To say it my most recent picture is technically correct, but it is also my only picture of a Pueo. I took it in 2009 while traveling with students on the island of Kauai. The owl is native to Hawaii, and is a subspecies of the widespread Short-eared Owl.

Have a great Superb Owl Sunday, and happy hunting for your own owls. I mean, what else are you gonna do today?

(Note: this is a replay of a blog that appeared the last time the 49ers were in the Super Bowl).

The Babies of Spring: Great Horned Owls and Red-tailed Hawks

One of the wonderful pleasures of spring bird-watching is the possibilities of catching sight of the new chicks. The birds of course go to great lengths to keep their children hidden from predators, but once in awhile one gets lucky and gets a peek at some of the young ones. Today I stopped by the covered bridge a few miles up the Tuolumne River and found that the Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) had hatched and there were at least two chicks in the nest. No matter what stage of life they are in, I find the stare of an owl unsettling.

I haven't been allowed back to work at my campus, but there are no rules against walking around the grounds, so I stopped there last week to see if the Red-tailed Hawks had laid eggs or not. The pair have been around for weeks, but I didn't see them on the nest they used last year, but as I looked carefully I saw something move up there.

Zooming in, one can see there is at least one baby present. I couldn't tell if there were others. They fledged two young ones last year.

Spring rolls on! I'll be watching for the Ospry babies next. There are at least four active nests up the river.

The Bashful Great Horned Owl at Robert's Ferry Bridge

There's a beautiful covered bridge on the Tuolumne River a few miles upstream from my town called the Robert's Ferry Bridge. It's not the original, which was damaged in the 1997 flood, but it is nicely designed complete with walkways on both sides. It's a nice spot for birdwatching, and in the spring it is a great spot to look for nests. Ospreys, Black Phoebes, and Cliff Swallows raise their young there, but the one I look forward to the most is the arrival of the Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus). They've used the same corner for a couple of years, and so I've been watching for their return.

I finally saw one of them today, and it clearly saw me, but I sure didn't see much! Were it not for the eye, I would have missed it entirely. I hope to see some babies in a few weeks.

Who Knew a Bird Day Would Have Headlines Everywhere? Happy Superb Owl Sunday!!

I know today is Superb Owl Sunday, but I was surprised to see all kinds of headlines about it in the newspaper and on the internet. And I'm really confused about what the San Francisco 49ers have to do with bird-watching. I mean, I could see it if we were talking about the Seattle Seahawks, or the Atlanta Falcons or some such. But in any case, HAPPY SUPERB OWL SUNDAY!

Here are my latest owl shots to celebrate with. The first one, above, is from last Friday. It's a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). We were at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge and had completed most of the auto loop. There is one last group of trees that we always check out because there are often a few owls hanging out and Friday was no exception.

The second picture is a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) that I saw last November on the north shore of Turlock Lake, in the midst of the California prairie. They are never abundant in our county, and none have been noted yet this year.

The last picture is a Hawaiian Short-eared Owl, or Pueo (Asio flammeus sandwichensis). To say it my most recent picture is technically correct, but it is also my only picture of a Pueo. I took it in 2009 while traveling with students on the island of Kauai. The owl is native to Hawaii, and is a subspecies of the widespread Short-eared Owl.

Have a great Superb Owl Sunday, and happy hunting for your own owls. I mean, what else are you gonna do today?

From Crummy to So-So: Great Horned Owl on the Tuolumne River

Just a quick follow-up to my last post...as always, if a post pictures of a particular bird species, I invariably get better pictures the next day. In this case, we went from crummy pictures to so-so pictures. The Great Horned Owl was in the same tree, but this time it was better situated, and it was actually looking my way!

1st Bird of the Year: Great Horned Owl on the Tuolumne River

I'm starting out with the most crummy pictures I'll post all year, but of course there is a story. I was up before sunrise on New Year's Day to find out what the first bird of the year would be. Last year I was surprised that the first bird was a Cooper's Hawk, and this year, the first bird was even more unusual: a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). Only I didn't see it, I heard it. As far as bird compilation sites like eBird are concerned, hearing a species counts just as well as a sighting. But not seeing my first bird was a little frustrating, as you might imagine.

Last year, I never saw a single owl on the Tuolumne River Parkway trail. In November I heard a Barn Owl, but never saw it either. A Great Horned Owl tried unsuccessfully to nest in an oak along the trail in 2018. But I hadn't seen any since.

So today, I saw the Great Horned Owl! On only the fifth day of the year. But of course, it wasn't nearby. It was across the river, way up in a tree, and looking the other way. But I got pictures! And that's why these pictures are the worst you'll probably see all year.

Happy birding this year!!

The Day I Thought I Finally Saw a Great Horned Owl on the Tuolumne River

I feel kind of bad for the Great Horned Owls that live along the Tuolumne River Parkway Trail. I've only seen them a few times, and one of those times, the owl was being mobbed by a bunch of angry crows. The other time, the owl constructed a nest in the top of one of the big oak trees, and I was anxiously awaiting a look at some owlets. Tragically, a huge windstorm hit and the entire nest was dislodged, and it plummeted to the ground.

The owls are nocturnal of course, and the hours for hiking the trail don't include the night, so I have to pin my hopes on seeing one sleeping up high in the trees. A week ago I thought I had finally spotted one. The outline was in the right kind of place, and looked to be the right shape, but when I got the camera on it and zoomed in, I had a real surprise. That was no owl!

So I got a quick education. During the plentiful times, a hive may be full of bees and honey, and space becomes a problem. A queen will lay some queen-type eggs, and then leave for a new home with thousands of drones in tow. Scout bees will look for a new hollow for the hive, and the bees will rest together in a large mass. They apparently will hang around for a few hours or days until the scouts have located an appropriate spot. The bees then start a new hive.

So much for my Great Horned Owl!

The Problem of Scale and Zoom: What is That Up There?

I went out to Robert's Ferry Bridge on the Tuolumne River today to see if the Ospreys had returned to their platform on the south side of the river. It felt like time was passing without any Osprey sightings and I was worried whether they would be back at all. I was also curious if there were any birds nesting in the bridge structure, since I knew of several stick pile nests, but I couldn't tell if any birds were present.

It was really difficult to see the nests because they were in the eaves and framed by very bright skies. I had to depend on the camera to lighten up the darkness up in the eaves and I snapped a couple of shots. On the small screen of my camera the pictures seemed to show a bit of bird tail, and there was some kind of yellow thing, but I couldn't make out what it was, maybe part of the bridge superstructure, or a piece of plastic in the nest perhaps. It wasn't until I saw the pictures on my computer that I realized that my sense of scale was way off. It wasn't a bird tail at all! But at least I know who's on the nest ("who"...do you see what I did there? Do you get it?).

So, add a Great Horned Owl to the list of nesting birds in my area. Oh, and the Ospreys? They were there, both of them. They didn't seem too concerned about the herb garden growing in their nest. Now we watch and wait for all the babies to hatch!

Great Horned Owl Nestling in the Mother Lode Foothills

A few weeks back we were taking some back roads to Merced Falls to check on the Osprey nests. It was just a day or so after one of the intense thunderstorms that hit the region in March. The storm caused widespread flooding and several bridges were washed out (many haven't been repaired yet). We had to turn off our route because of one of the washouts, and passed what we thought was yet another hawk nest. But in the rear view mirror I saw the unmistakable profile of a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), and stopped to make sure.

Momma Owl flew off, but we had a look at the nestling. Today, we were driving the same road and noted that the young nestling was a fair bit bigger and a bit more curious about the goings-on in the world outside the nest. We didn't see momma today, but the baby is looking pretty healthy.

Great Horned Owl Nesting on the Tuolumne River Parkway Trail

I've been a little frustrated that I've never seen an owl on the Tuolumne River Parkway Trail in the three years I've been exploring the pathway. One just knows they have to be there, given the rich food sources along that stretch of river. I finally heard one downstream of the stairwell at the west end of the trail a week or two ago, but still no sightings.

Yesterday, however, was a most extraordinary day, because in two hours I saw 38 bird species, including a few that I identified for the first time ever for the area. And among them, much to my pleasure and surprise was a nesting Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). There isn't much drama in the pictures, and in a nesting situation one doesn't really want drama, but it is neat to know that we'll be seeing some young owls in coming weeks. I'll try to keep you posted on their growth.

UPDATE (3/4/18): Well, drat. I went back to check out the nesting site a week later only to find that it had collapsed and fallen to the ground, I presume during last week's harsh storms. Does anyone know if Great Horned Owls will try nesting again in such circumstances?

Great Horned Owl at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge (and a scene worthy of the Exorcist)

Owls have been frustrating for me. I have yet to see one in my normal haunts on the Tuolumne River Parkway trail, my campus, or almost anywhere else I go. But one place has proven dependable over the last few years: the Merced National Wildlife Refuge between Los Banos and Merced in the Great Valley. We almost always see a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), either at the Bittern Marsh, or the Cottonwood Trees along the eastern section of the autotour.

The last sighting was exactly one month ago. We headed out to the refuge this afternoon, and I walked the same Bittern Marsh trail that I walked last month, and to my surprise, I saw another Great Horned Owl, quite possibly in the same tree. I would say that it is the same individual, but this one seems a bit thinner (maybe it's the angle).

Today was another case of being closer to the bird that is comfortable, but I didn't see the bird until I was actually walking past it (about 40 feet way), but this time it didn't scare or fly away. It just kept an eye on me (well, two eyes...two very intense eyes).

I was about to walk on when the owl looked away. I had a feeling it might look back at me again, so I turned on the video and true to form, the head swiveled 270 degrees. I immediately thought of Megan in "The Exorcist".  It works great for them when they need to keep an eye out for potential prey without moving around a lot.


The Merced Refuge has several nice walking trails in addition to the six mile auto-tour. It is already full of all kinds of birds, especially thousands of Sandhill Cranes. There are hundreds of Snow Geese, but thousands more are on their way. If you find yourself anywhere near Merced in the next few months, be sure to check it out. It is always interesting, and when tens of thousands of birds take flight all at once, it is spectacular.

The owl is just about in the center of the picture.

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.

Owl Babies! Great Horned Owl Nesting at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

We're at that brief moment in time between the hatching of Great Horned Owl chicks and the leafing out of  the trees in which they build their nests. It seemed to be a good time to go check out the Merced National Wildlife Refuge, so we headed there yesterday to see who was around.

We weren't disappointed! On the south section of the auto-tour we could see a large nest and the bird atop the nest had the characteristic "horns" of a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). We couldn't allow ourselves the hope of even seeing the chicks, but as we zoomed in we could make out gray balls of fuzz.

From a different angle we could clearly see two chicks. If they would just turn around!

And they did! I would love to have achieved some close up shots but no one wants to disturb the nestlings, and we weren't allowed out of the car anyway. Just the same, it was a neat moment on a fine day.

Great Horned Owl at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

It's been a long time since we've been able to make a birding trip (which I complained about yesterday) but today we had a chance to sneak away for a couple of hours. We ended up on the Tule Elk Auto-tour at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge south of Turlock in the Great Valley. The road follows the edge of the Tule Elk enclosure and parallels Salt Slough, a tributary to the San Joaquin River, and offers views of grasslands and riparian habitats. We saw a fair number of interesting birds, but my favorite shot of the day was a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) that was watching us while we explored one of the fishing holes on Salt Slough.

The refuge was, for the first time in five years, looking...wet. It's been a tough period for birds and other animals that make the refuge home, but the heavy rains this season have caused the luxuriant growth of grasses on the prairie.

It's always a pleasure to spot an owl. Can you see it in the picture below?

Letting Sleeping Owls Lie in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

We had a long drive home from Oregon this past weekend, but we couldn't just pass up the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge near Williams in the northern Great Valley. There's a six mile long autotour that rarely disappoints. As we passed a lone tree along a section of the tour, a tree called the "Owl Tree", we were surprised beyond measure that it contained a pair of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus). Neither one seemed overly concerned that we were driving by (and babbling with excitement).

It was a good day at the refuge. Look for a few more pics before long...

Great Horned Owls on the California Prairie on Warnerville Road

It's been a rich week for birdwatching. I made it back to the Tuolumne River after a month long absence, I got out to the Beckwith Road viewing platform at the San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge, and then yesterday, Mrs. Geotripper and I headed out to the California prairie and vernal pool habitat, a unique landscape in the Sierra Nevada foothills. I've ended up with week's worth of posts, including some new birds. But this moment on Warnerville Road was pretty special.

There's a spot where an intermittent creek crosses road, and there is a high terrace of volcanic tuff (the Valley Springs formation) which many animals call home. Last March I got a picture of a raccoon in one of the holes dug out the cliff, and there are usually lots of swallows and finches near by. I always watch for Burrowing Owls, but I haven't been too lucky with them yet.

It looked like someone had put a log or something in the top hole along the cliff, but I was immediately sure it was something else. When I zoomed in with the camera, I saw this extraordinary sight...

There were two Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) in there! I seen Great Horned Owls on any number of occasions, but I've never had them completely disregard my presence. I didn't even have to get out of the car to get a series of nice shots.

Great Horned Owls have one of the widest ranges of any bird in the Americas, being found as far south as Argentina and Urugway and as far north as Canada and Alaska. I've featured them twice on this blog, but not with pictures as nice as these.

I'm assuming this is a mated pair, maybe even with their chosen nest site.

I know we aren't supposed to anthropomorphize birds, but owl expressions sure seem to cover the gamut of emotions, even if they don't. I see perturbed, surprised, bored, curious, and unconcerned in these pictures.

It was a privilege to spend a few moments with them, even if at a distance.

By the way, which photograph do you prefer? I couldn't choose my favorite.