What a great evening! Beautiful, calm evening, with no snow and a balmy 1 degree Celsius.
Marc, Simone, Zoe & Zariah (it was her first owl count) were joined by Chris V., Alex S. & Karin L. on March 26th. We were all bundled up anticipating a cold yet good evening for owl counting.
At our first stop, we heard a Great Horned Owl before we even started. Then he flew right over our heads! Good start for sure.
The owls were very obliging as we heard Great Horned Owls at 9 out of the 10 designated stops, and Northern Saw-Whets at three of our stops. We heard one Saw-Whet owl that was so vocal he just called and called and called from the moment we arrived at our stop to when the designated ‘listening time' between all recorded calls was up. Another Saw-Whet owl at our very last stop was quite curious of us. He seemed to get closer and closer, hooting all the while, then stopped and flew off when the Great Horned Owl recorded call came on. A few seconds later, he piped up again, working his way closer to our group!
Zoe was sure she heard a Long-eared Owl at stop #10. We had heard one there last year as well. It is quite rare to hear a Long-eared Owl!
It was a fun evening, quiet and calm as far as background noise goes, no wind, and the temperature was -4 degrees Celsius by the time we finished. Social distancing was no problem as everyone scatters to find their own place to listen for owl calls.
We thoroughly enjoyed each other’s enthusiasm and company. All in all a great evening and with a welcomed surprise treat at the end--each of us enjoyed a slice of yummy homemade cake from Chris V.