Eastern Screech-Owl - Petit duc maculé
One of the challenges photographing birds at this time of year is the molt that different species undergo. It is common to notice Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals,for example, without plumage around their heads; other species, especially the migrant and resident migrant Warblers, pass through more complete molts, and can look very odd (and be hard to identify).
The basic idea of a molt is to renew feathers that have been worn down or damaged in the activities the bird takes part in to survive. The pattern and extent of molting however varies by species. Some birds molt over a two year cycle, with different types of feathers going in stages; other have a pattern, a sequence of feather groups, that molt annually. If a bird has to fly to eat or capture food, for example, the molting of flight feathers is a delicate issue. Bald Eagles don’t have a first molt until the birds mature.
Eastern Screech-Owls, like some other high profile species, have a sequential molt, usually after breeding and fledging has occurred - around late August - and I found this bird in the ‘complete head molt’ phase. You can see some of the other feathers are coming in, so the head would seem nearly the final phase.
This image was secured late in the day, against the setting sun, as the bird was rousing for an evening’s hunt. I stayed only about a minute, to secure a few images.
Eastern Screech-Owl - Petit duc maculé
One of the challenges photographing birds at this time of year is the molt that different species undergo. It is common to notice Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals,for example, without plumage around their heads; other species, especially the migrant and resident migrant Warblers, pass through more complete molts, and can look very odd (and be hard to identify).
The basic idea of a molt is to renew feathers that have been worn down or damaged in the activities the bird takes part in to survive. The pattern and extent of molting however varies by species. Some birds molt over a two year cycle, with different types of feathers going in stages; other have a pattern, a sequence of feather groups, that molt annually. If a bird has to fly to eat or capture food, for example, the molting of flight feathers is a delicate issue. Bald Eagles don’t have a first molt until the birds mature.
Eastern Screech-Owls, like some other high profile species, have a sequential molt, usually after breeding and fledging has occurred - around late August - and I found this bird in the ‘complete head molt’ phase. You can see some of the other feathers are coming in, so the head would seem nearly the final phase.
This image was secured late in the day, against the setting sun, as the bird was rousing for an evening’s hunt. I stayed only about a minute, to secure a few images.