Snowy Owl.
What a gorgeous day. Warming temperatures, sun and stillness, and another snowy owl at Beech Hill.
At least I assume it was a different owl than the one we spooked a couple days ago, Jack and I. This one seemed to have darker markings—perhaps a female. We arrived in mid-morning. Chickadees near the parking lot, crows flapping along in the periphery. The weather was fine. We met a young family and a pair of other hikers coming down, so at the summit, dog and I were alone. We stopped, I listened. So still and quiet. I scanned for owls but saw none and thought we might hike down through the woods to see what we might see down there, but Jack began tugging toward Beech Nut, so I followed and we circled the hut.
Snowy Owl (another view).
Coming around back of it, I scanned the snowy slopes for an owl but saw none. I honestly expected not to see one. But when I took down my binocs, and we continued around the hut, I spotted a lone shape on a rise maybe a hundred yards away. An owl.
What a thrill. The bird a couple days ago was thrilling, too, but that sighting happened so fast, amid frigid, dark, wind-whipped conditions, and the owl was in flight; this bird appeared as I’d dreamed one would—just perched out in the open in broad daylight. I grabbed a bunch of distant photos, then started to approach slowly, when I heard people talking. I saw a pair of other hikers ascending and so decided to wait and show them the owl. Which I did. They were impressed. Then we began to approach, dog and I, until the owl flew—oh what a wonderful thing it is to see a large white owl fly—down over the rise.
So I abandoned my woods-hiking plan and we returned down the trail toward where the owl disappeared. And I spotted him on a little rise above the trail down there. Took more photos. Again approached slowly. Again the owl flew. (What a sight! No photos possible, dang it!) We followed it farther down the trail, where it had landed in the middle of a snowy field. Again it flew—back up to the rise—and we turned around and followed. At a point where I saw its head peeking over the hilltop, I took about a minutes’ worth of video.
And then we walked farther up and spent about a half hour just standing on the trail in full view of the owl, and it in our full view. Took a few more photos. Pointed the owl out to a few more hikers. Tweeted the fact that I was standing there looking at a snowy owl.
And then we came home.
But what a gorgeous day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 10:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. American crow*
3. Snowy owl
Elsewhere
4. Herring gull
*Also elsewhere
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, herring gull, snowy owl
