Snowy Owl Day

Today my mom and I went out to look for a Snowy Owl that was being reported near the Owego Wetlands which is not far from where I live. I decided to check a wildlife area on the way down for birds since it was on the way and worth checking. When we got there my mom spotted a large white bird fly up to the top of a grain bin. I looked where she was talking about with my binoculars and saw an adult Snowy Owl perched on the bin. The Snowy Owl that we were going to look for was a juvenile so they were different birds, a great surprise! I called up a couple area birders and they rushed down to see it. On the way there I saw a Northern Shrike as well as a couple mammals such as Mink (weasel) and Red Fox.
After I spent some time photographing and watching the first owl it was time to find the second. We pulled up to the spot where the second owl was seen and found it fairly quickly perched on a post. I got a picture before it flew out into the middle of a field. Seeing two Snowy Owls in one day around here is not easy to do. Finding one can even prove to be a challenge. Most years only one (or even no) Snowy Owls are seen. So far this winter we've had three in the area.After I was done watching the Snowy Owl we (more like I, my mom isn't really a birder) decided to look for a flock of forty Common Redpolls at the wetland area nearby. I had already seen the flock a few days earlier but I wanted to see it again to see if there were any Hoary Redpolls in with them. We found the flock but they flew off after a minute of watching them. Redpolls have to be one of the hardest kinds of birds to observe if they are not sitting still on a feeder. They move around from place to place (they usually stayed in one location for a few minutes and then they moved to another one usually far away) and even when they are feeding the are constantly moving.
The regular birds to the wetland are are also interesting. It doesn't take Snowy Owls or Common Redpolls to make it an interesting day. There are many birds there most of the time such as Short-eared Owl (pictured), Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, etc. It is a great place to visit almost anytime.

Owego Wetlands Owls

Here are a couple Short-eared Owl pictures that I took at the Owego Wetlands last night. There were at least nine there. A Great Horned Owl (not pictured) was also seen. One day I will get a nice picture of a short-eared owl but until then here are some bad photos of them for you to try to enjoy!

Christmas Day Birds

As Christmas Day was coming to a close my dad and I headed out in search of Short-eared Owls. We have had several failed attempts at locating this species so far this fall so I figured that our chances would be slim. We stopped at three large wetland areas before finding them. The first location we stopped at was the Luton WMA North Unit. As we pulled up to the area I spotted a Northern Shrike perched atop a small tree. I haven't had one yet this fall so it was a nice surprise. As we drove along we saw a few birds including Ring-necked Pheasant, Horned Lark, and Red-winged Blackbird but there was no owl to be seen. After that we headed to the south unit and found nothing but pheasants and larks. We decided to try one last spot before the day was over. The Owego Wetland Complex was not only the last stop but it was the best stop for Short-eared Owls. On the way there a couple Horned Larks and meadowlarks flushed from the road. When we got there it looked rather lifeless with no birds to be seen. The sun was setting and it was getting late.

I took out my scope and scanned the large wetland area. Only a moment later I found a large bird coursing over the fields. It was a Short-eared Owl! The search was finally over to find this species for my year list and I was rather happy to find one on Christmas. I got out a bird caller that my mom gave me for Christmas as a side gift and I used it to mimic mice. Only a few seconds later the owl was headed right for us! He quickly came and landed in a field behind our car. As he sat there I got the picture below by poking out the sunroof. It is a nice picture considering the distance and lighting at the time.I continued making the squeaking noises as he flew around trying to find what was making all that noise. A few moments later he dissapeared just as quickly as he had appeared, not to be seen again. Incase there where anymore of them to be found my dad and I drove around the area for a short while. We were rewarded with great looks at an owl that was perched on a post. He stayed there long enough for me to get a decent picture.The Short-eared Owls were a great Christmas treat adding to the fun of the already great day!