2nd Saw-Whet
This is the 2nd Northern saw-whet owl I've ever seen.
Here's a rare case where someone reported a Northern saw-whet owl in E-Bird without the "H.O." descriptor (Heard Only). In fact, there were multiple reports, some with good descriptions where to find it. So, being within 100 miles of the location, I drove out to find it...
Bridgeport State Park (WA):
It was about 10-feet up, tucked deep into a smallish pine tree right along a road next to the campground (as reported by helpful E-Bird contributors).
Bridgeport State Park doesn't draw big crowds on cold, Winter weekdays. I was the only person in the park (other than a ranger driving around). This meant I could drag the tripod out and take my time quietly setting up without getting in anyone else's way. I didn't want to bother the owl for too long, so I took a few shots from a few different angles, and left it alone pretty quickly.
Though, like the last saw-whet owl I saw, it didn't seem scared or annoyed. Its eyes opened occasionally to see what I was doing, then closed them again.
Final note: These owls are hilariously small. So small that it was hard to see it -- even after I knew where it was.
2nd Saw-Whet
This is the 2nd Northern saw-whet owl I've ever seen.
Here's a rare case where someone reported a Northern saw-whet owl in E-Bird without the "H.O." descriptor (Heard Only). In fact, there were multiple reports, some with good descriptions where to find it. So, being within 100 miles of the location, I drove out to find it...
Bridgeport State Park (WA):
It was about 10-feet up, tucked deep into a smallish pine tree right along a road next to the campground (as reported by helpful E-Bird contributors).
Bridgeport State Park doesn't draw big crowds on cold, Winter weekdays. I was the only person in the park (other than a ranger driving around). This meant I could drag the tripod out and take my time quietly setting up without getting in anyone else's way. I didn't want to bother the owl for too long, so I took a few shots from a few different angles, and left it alone pretty quickly.
Though, like the last saw-whet owl I saw, it didn't seem scared or annoyed. Its eyes opened occasionally to see what I was doing, then closed them again.
Final note: These owls are hilariously small. So small that it was hard to see it -- even after I knew where it was.