Snowy owl (immature).
Awoke to brilliant sunlight streaming through the eastern blinds (or, more accurately, barely held at bay by said blinds). As expected, the temperate had dipped. A little wind had already risen. Chickadees were poking about in the trees out back. I heard one deliver a loud fee-bee!
While doing a little physical labor upstairs in late morning, I heard the call of a pileated woodpecker up the back hill somewhere, so I stepped outside with my camera, just in case. Stood there for long enough to get quite a little chill—maybe a couple minutes—before the bird took flight from a tree to far away for a photo anyway. Still, I love to watch those big ol’ ‘peckers fly.
Broke away in mid-afternoon for my Beech Hill hike with Jack. By then, the air had calmed, so the hike wasn’t nearly as frigid as it might’ve been.
Downy woodpecker, Beech hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 21 January 2014.
It began with a flurry of small-bird activity down around the parking lot: chickadees, a nuthatch, and a couple of titmice—one of which was uttering a sort of half-call, half-song that I thought at first must’ve been some other bird. Also spotted a downy woodpecker hacking away at a small branch.
Met a solitary hiker (and dog) coming down, paused for a photo of “my” broken-limbed birch, then stopped at the summit to scan the eastern slope for owls. Didn’t think I’d see one, but hoped I would, but didn’t, so we circled the hut, scanning the back side. Before heading back down, I scanned the eastern slope again and got a glimpse of something—by damn, it sure looked like a snowy owl. Looked to be perched in a small oak tree. Right away, we set off down the back way toward the wooded trail.
When we got closer to the tree, I could see no owl in its branches, so I figured we’d make the turn by the section of fence, and I’d scan the far eastern field. There, by damn, was the owl. A young bird, like the last one I saw very near this one. It was sitting on the far side of the field, right out in the open, and it occurred to me that I must’ve seen it sitting exactly there through the naked branches of the oak—duh. Crept a few yards closer, to get a view between the brushy trailside growth.
Nice.
I’ve been unsure, if any of the other owls I’ve seen this winter were in fact the same bird. This one, though, I believe was immature owl I spotted a few days ago. It took flight off toward the bay, perhaps to hunt ducks tonight.?
Note: A sick eagle died at Avian Haven today, a beautiful adult female. Lead poisoning. Too few humans have learned to think beyond a week, a year, their lifetimes. We’ve simply got to quit using lead in fishing and hunting gear. It’s unnecessary, irresponsible, and deadly.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail (and a little farther).
1. Black-capped chickadee*
2. White-breasted nuthatch
3. Tufted titmouse
4. Downy woodpecker
5. Northern flicker
6. Snowy owl
Elsewhere
7. American crow
8. Pileated woodpecker
*Also elsewhere
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, downy woodpecker, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, snowy owl, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
