Spring Break!

Wednesday, March 12^th:

6:00 PM, Temperature: 7 C (46 F)

I was a little surprised to see the owl again today, perched very near to its yesterday’s roost by the pond. As usual it was not very active and stood perfectly still while lazily observing its surroundings. Its mode of observation is the most ‘human’ of all birds and this is mainly due to its large eyes and forward gaze which gives the owl a remarkable 110 degrees field of vision with about 70 degrees of stereoscopic view. This frontal gaze and large, immovable eyes, requires the owl to turn its head around to bring objects into sharpest focus¹. This is why owls are often seen turning their heads towards the object of interest (just like humans) when looking at them. It may also be the reason why owls have evolved to achieve a 360 degree movement for their necks! And this (apart from their spooky calls) is certainly one of the most bewildering characteristics of any owl.

As our owl kept watch at the pond, and Laurel and I kept watch over the owl, another owl flew in from the west and landed near the first bird. It had been a while since I saw both owls together and this was a welcome sight. Within a few moments of the arrival of the second owl however, the first owl took off towards the direction from which the second had flown in! This was most unusual and strange. Even more strange was the plumage of this second bird. It was beautiful and bright, just like the owl I had photographed in February. I had not noted any abnormality in the plumage of the first owl of today. If the second owl looked great, then the first should have appeared dull and disheveled, as I had noted this difference between the two birds earlier. Had the dull owl recovered from its malady and grown new feathers? Was there any difference left between these two individuals anymore or were they going to follow the bird guide and look alike?

The Barred Owl is almost hidden even as it sits in plain sight against the background of brown tangle.

There seemed, at least superficially a difference between the two owls today. Between looking around and short naps, the first owl would often groom its breast feathers. Often, it would stretch one leg forward and perform a maintenance routine that resembled a cat licking its paws! This was behavior I had noted as a characteristic of the disheveled owl. In contrast, the second owl that flew in to the pond later was extremely active and alert. It was hungry and started hunting immediately, chasing the occasional squirrel. This was in line with the behavior of what had until now been the more beautiful bird. Laurel and I both looked at the pictures taken earlier and then pored over the hunting owl to see if we could catch any similarities/differences, but there were no conclusive observations. For now I am content with the idea that the first owl of today is recovering from an illness that spoilt its coat. We will just have to wait to see both birds together again to check if there are/aren’t any obvious differences between them.

Why did the first owl leave when the second owl arrived? – Perhaps the pair has found a place to nest nearby and has laid eggs. Maybe both birds are taking turns incubating!

Monday, March 17^th:

5:00 PM, Temperature: 10 C (50 F)

The first day of Spring Break! It wasn’t quite spring yet, but a beautiful evening nonetheless for a short bird-walk. A few weeks ago, Laurel and I had met Blake, a bird-enthusiast who had moved to the area and would often visit the pond behind Olin Hall. It was a pleasant surprise to run into Blake again this evening as we watched Jasper impatiently fly from one tree to the next making a wide arc along San Martin Drive.

Then suddenly, we heard Cinnamon calling as she flew in from the south and over Olin Hall with a small rodent in her talons towards Jasper. The pair then moved to the east across the bridge and perched high up on one of the oaks. Jasper watched as Cinnamon focused on her meal. I moved closer towards the tree to try and get a clear view and possibly a decent picture. In a few minutes she was done and being wary of my approach she flew off.

Cinnamon feeds on a morsel of delicious rodent!

I returned to the road to meet Blake, who was in high spirits – he had just spotted a pair of Wood Ducks! The three of us hurried down to the pond to take a look. It was an exciting event and indeed a rare sight. None of us had ever seen a wood duck here! We watched the pair swim through the tangle of branches for a few minutes before they became aware of our presence and flew off.

¹ Johnsgard, Paul A. (1988) - North American owls: biology and natural history. Smithsonian.