Screech Owls – My Bird of the Day

3 February 2014. Burlington Ontario. Although really nothing more than tabulating the rhythm of the Earth, flipping over the January page of the calendar seemed to have made all the difference. Bright sun, a blanket of snow and barely noticeable cold was all that the birds and I needed to enjoy each other’s company today.

I walked around a favourite valley not far from home, a place of sheltered trails, a meandering river and a winter bird population that knows and loves people and the food they usually bring with them. I pocketed a small bag of mixed birdseed and went to see what photography opportunities would pop up.

It was, as I expected, all about the usual avian suspects and they provided lots of opportunity. There was little sense in looking for rarities, just enjoy a beautiful winter morning. The birds obliged nicely and the gallery below is a reflection of my morning’s walk.

Hairy Woodpecker. Bigger that a Downy and a proportionately longer bill.

My Wow! moment came almost as an afterthought. Completely satisfied with my morning of photo-op birds, I decided to drive around a nearby cemetery where a Screech Owl can sometimes be seen, particularly if the sun shines. He was there right on cue and since the sun shone so brightly I was spurred on to check another owl spot, where to my astonishment these two Screech Owls were sitting sunning themselves.

To help you interpret the picture of these two birds, I need to quote a local authority, Bob Curry, from his excellent book Birds of Hamilton and Surrounding Areas (Pub’ Hamilton Naturalists’ Club 2006): “The Eastern Screech Owls occurs in three colour morphs: grey, brown and red. Grey Screech Owls are by far the commonest in southern Ontario, these include the similar brown morphs that are seldom distinguished in the field or in museum collections. ….Red morph birds are less well adapted to cold and are commoner in the United States. Based on specimens in the Royal Ontario Museum….red morphs comprise about 19% of the Ontario population.

Quite apart from the sheer pleasure of seeing them, what made these birds so special was to find the brown and grey morphs together and apparently a bonded pair, a sign of spring if ever there was.

Screech Owl camouflage. Here, you stand with your back to the grey bark and I'll stand by this reddish bit. It coordinates better. — Screech Owl camouflage. ” Now dear, you stand with your back to the grey bark and I’ll stand by this reddish bit. That way we’ll look better for the photographer.”

This post contains photos in galleries visible only on the website, not if you’re reading this as an email.

One thought on “Screech Owls”