Finding owls

Here in Alaska, the days have gotten much colder and the leaves on the trees have been replaced by lumps of snow and frost. The ground is covered by about 3 inches of snow, which crunches under our feet as we venture outdoors. For me the changing season is like grinding to a screeching halt after the momentum of a sprint. The warmer months were filled with so many birds offering many great photo opportunities. Our summer birds have now departed, and many of our winter birds are returning, but not nearly as numerous or plentiful as their warm weather counterparts. Many of our cold weather birds tend to flock together in large numbers through the chilly season for food and safety.
Recently I have been seeing Bohemian Waxwings regather and begin devouring the Mt. Ash berries in many of the urban and suburban areas where I live and work. This year is a banner year for Mt. Ash berries as most of our trees are so full of fruit they are drooping from the weight of it. That is a good sign for those of us who enjoy shooting this fun bird. Waxwings are one of my favorite  birds to shoot during our cold weather season and I have already had the pleasure of shooting them. I have also recently found another American Three-toed Woodpecker while in the woods looking for owls.

Boreal Owl spotted in Anchorage, Alaska in early 2016

Some other winter birds that I will be looking forward to shooting include; White-winged Crossbills, Pine Grosbeaks, Gray Jays, Steller's Jays, Boreal Chickadees, Brown Creepers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpeckers, Bald Eagles, Ravens, Owls, and Northern Goshawk - which has become my nemesis bird this year. Several friends have reported Goshawk sightings, often in areas that I have recently been to, but so far they have eluded me. That's frustrating. For example, early in the spring I had found a Black-backed Woodpecker. The following day I came across it's remains along the remains of multiple Snowshoe Hare. The culprit, I thought, was either a Northern Goshawk, or an owl. A good friend of mine went looking in the same area and found a Goshawk on a recently killed Hare. I went to try to see it myself, but never did find that Goshawk. I've got a couple months left so there's still a chance I will see one before the year is over.

What I really want to talk about in this post is owls. Since the summer birds have departed, I have found myself focusing more on finding owls in our local wooded areas. I have spotted a good number of owls this year, and I want to share the methods I have used to find them. For each owl I observed, I was tipped off of its presence by the same set of clues. The first owl I found this year was a Boreal Owl (read about that adventure here). I was very excited to find this bird! I remember being curious about the Steller's Jay that was squawking loudly in a large spruce tree. When I went to investigate, to my surprise, I found a little feathered lump sitting on a branch near the trunk. What a treat!

When looking for owls, you must use your ears. When I am in the woods, I walk a little ways, and stop and listen. Always listen. If I hear a Steller's Jay squawking, I will go investigate. If I hear several Chickadees calling (what I have learned are alarm calls) along with maybe a Nuthatch, I will go investigate. I watch their behavior after I have found them. If they are mobbing a tree (usually a spruce tree but not always) I will begin searching the tree, scouring the branches. Saw-whet and Boreal Owls are very small, and can be easily missed. I remember once thinking there had to be an owl around after first hearing Chickadees and Nuthatches carrying on, but I didn't see anything. I gave it one more look and I'm glad I did, because that's when I found the Saw-whet. You have to learn to listen to the birds and let them tell you what is going on. I have witnessed several Steller's Jay's and handful of Magpie's all mob a tree to harass a little Boreal Owl. There was even some woodpeckers around getting in on the action. Other birds will usually give away the presence of an owl or another predatory bird, so we need to pay attention to them and their behaviors and what they might be telling us. Sure there have been times I have heard what I thought was alarm calls and went to investigate and found nothing. But the times I have found owls convinces me to investigate every time. You never know what you're going to find and you just might be pleasantly surprised. So whether you're walking the trails in your community or getting out into thicker wooded areas, stop often and listen. If you hear something out of the ordinary, go investigate. Listen, look, and be persistent.

Have you found any owls or other birds of pray by paying attention to the other birds? What other methods have you used to find owls? Feel free to comment below and share your observations and experiences.

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As always, keep your eyes peeled and your binoculars handy!

Until next time, happy birding.