I rarely post anything about owls. Owls have a mystique that makes normal people abnormal and turns photographers obsessive and aggressive. I have seen the worst behavior by birders and photographers when owls are involved, so if I get lucky enough to see one, it typically will not be reported. This is especially true for roosting sites or nest locations which will remain forever a secret between me and the owl.
An exception to my owl rule occurred yesterday, when Jeanine and I (and multiple other visitors) enjoyed watching a Short-eared Owl hunting at Brig. I believe / hope that this is a safe exception to mention here because the owl was hunting during mid-day over the impoundments, where it presumably is safe from intrusion by the photographers who are supposed to remain on the road. In contrast to the nocturnally-active owls that typically just sit like a statue during the day, it was a pleasure to watch this bird’s hunting behavior in mid-day. We didn’t see it actually catch anything, but it was trying its darndest in the stiff wind. There weren’t many other birds active due to that wind, but sometimes one bird can turn a drab day into a WOW day. And that’s exactly what this bird did for us.
