Western Screech Owl Family - 06/25/18

 

ENCOUNTER WITH A WESTERN SCREECH OWL FAMILY...

 

(Please feel free to share this video with others that have not seen or that appreciate seeing one of our smallest owl species.)

 

For those intereesting, I have tried to take the time to give you some insight into what is going on while I was near these little owls. There are four segments in this video and I attempt to provide some context and explanation for each and how it relates to the other. (It's late... hopefully it makes some sense.)

 

-->> 1ST SEGMENT -- ADULT FROM DISTANCE

 

The very first segment shows at adult Western Screech Owl that was perhaps 50' in front of me, the first indication I noticed as I was passing this portion of hte trail, actually looking for these owls by sheer coincidence.

 

I knew with an adult present, and given that the past 3 years I had seen juveniles or part or all of a family together, that this adult was likely hunting for young, assuming it had a partner. This might mean that young would be in the area, but if they were, it was a certainty the young knew it was there and would be begging for food. In no time I heard the very recognizable begging call of these species that are cemented in my head as I enter my fourth consecutive year of observing them when they are near either a park or green space trail, or nearby neighborhood areas. If you listen closely in the first segment of the out of focus adult, you can hear a juvenile beggging briefly.

 

During the first segent I make a vocalization, with the hope that thsi owl is one that will recall me fron being a former breeding adult, or local juvenile (more likely if a female), and possibly recall that I'm an observer that tries hard not to interfere. At this point the adult moves its head, in somewhat of a circular motion, which is what owls do to get a much more accurate estimate of distance than we humans are capable of doing.

 

-->> 2ND SEGMENT -- NEARER JUVENILE

 

The second segment shows the juvenile I first noticed after seeing the adult. It's possible there may have been another juvenile nearby as at one point it sounded as though tghere may have been another begging call, although I never saw but the one on this occasion. After he has remained quiet, I make a little not-so-similar call and he instinctively looks to the adult uttering a begging call ASAP. Keep oin mind, when one of the juveniles hears another beg, it may wonder or think the other juvenile has spotted an adult with food, and it is programmed to try and out-beg its sibblings, or at least hold its own so that it may end up wiht an appropriate share of the available food the adults find.

 

-->> 3RD SEGMENT -- 2ND ADULT WITH FOOD

 

Darn near walked past this beautiful owl. THe adult I had been watcing was no longer where I'd seen it, and assumed it had either gone to look for more food, or given something it had to one of the juveniles in the area. At first this adult had it's feathers pulled way in, something they do to look more like a branch, which surprised me jus ta bit, but it quickly relaxed. I had walked within about 6 feet of it, and having done this with various animals many times over the years, I've elarned to quckly stop, but not so quickly as to cause a lurch, but rather a quick deceleration, then quickly issue a vocalization to remind them, if they know me before, that I'm the one that doesb't try and get real close to them, even though I just did it!

 

Note how that worm is as long as the owl is tall!

 

The 2nd adult owl gives me a quick look, but as many animals and particularly birds do, is quickly interested in my lens reflection. Fortunately, I had kept the camera up about neck level knowing, and quickly turned on to record video to hope to capture it with the precious "wormy" look before it could take off. Luckily, it focuse mainly on the juvenile(s) begging not far away, but I get an entire minute of it on video (albeit a tad too zoomed in) before it decides to deliver the worm. Once the adult moves with that food, almost regardless of direction, any juvenile(s) present, that are present will become even louder insisting that it belongs to them!

 

-->> 4TH SEGMENT -- CAMERA FACING TOWARD JUVENILE(S)

 

While we cannot clearly see the juvenile(s) here, although I can't rule out that part of it is visible, the point was to capture the audio as the adult brings food. The juvenile begs louder and louder, and will lean toward the adult, even tryign to get past siblings if they are present, and opens its bill as far as possible. Often juveniles will also flap their wings as the adult approaches, hoping to be the one to get the most attention and actually get the food in their mouth.

 

A slight variation of first-come first-serve. Those that push the hardest, open the widest, and squawk the loudest, despite the impact on their siblings, often fair the best.

Done