Owls! Rare Birds Indeed!

 Syl and Kelly come to stay with us in the early autumn, and spend a lot of their time hunting for birds -- armed with cameras.

They keep adding to their Life List of rare birds. (Syl is still way out ahead:  he spotted Kelly, the rarest and most precious "bird" of all.  They were birding in Algonquin Park, when Kelly -- absorbed in spotting an elusive warbler -- was called over by Syl.  "Not now," she hissed, I've got a good bird over here."

"I've got a better one" Syl replied, producing a small red box containing the engagement ring.

This December, Syl sent me some photos of more rare birds they have spotted together.  These owls were near Point Pelee/Kingsville.

It's not common to see Great Gray owls. They are Manitoba's provincial bird -- but here we are well south of their normal range -- which means sightings are  elusive, and rate a gold star on a Birder's Life List.  The largest of our owls, they can easily be three feet high, with wingspans up to five feet across.  This one obligingly perched on a stump near the road, making it possible for Syl to get a good view, and a good photo.

And the Snowy Owl, equally obliging,  checked out the tv reception, posing beautifully for his adoring public.  Stunningly beautiful in their Winter Whites, these are huge owls - we do see them here, but not often. When these owls leave their Arctic ranges, it indicates a shortage of mice up there to the north. Given the number of mice in my stable this winter, I'd suggest that the entire northern population might be here, but I could be exaggerating.  It is not uncommon for these owls to periodically descend upon Southern Ontario, following the fluctuations in rodent populations that regularly occurs.  Syl and Kelly were very fortunate, and we are quite green with envy, that they were able to see these fantastic owls.

photo by Gary Schulz, with permission. Snowy Owl.

Quinn has been here over the Christmas holiday, and we discussed owls --  he recently rescued a Northern SawWhet owl that had been 'bowled over' by the wind of a passing car near Bronte Park.  Sadly, I've not spotted any Snowy Owls here: they seem to have travelled right on south in search of copious mouse populations.

I'm including this video of a hunting Great Gray Owl, courtesy of the BBC. The photography in both these video links is astonishing, and watching how these incredible birds hunt only adds to the awe in which I hold them!