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June 8, 2006  Grey Area It's nice to have a bird on call. What's a bird on call? It's a bird that for reasons known only to itself, picks an area, takes up residence, and then allows itself to be ogled by admiring birders. In some ways it is similar to knowing the address of a friend and feeling free to pay a visit whenever one wishes. Wild birds are usually not so predictable and seeing a particular bird often takes luck and patience. With this in mind I had some skepticism when greeted by the news that a Great Grey Owl could be seen for the asking, in an area not far from where I live. As skeptical as I was though, I hoped the news was true. In the South Cariboo Grey Owls are mostly seen during the winter months. Possibly because less foliage obstructs our viewing pleasure. But mostly because the owls need to hunt mice, and this draws them out of cover to roadsides and open fields. Seeing Gray Owls during summer is difficult, certainly not predictable, and nearly impossible. When I heard that a Grey Owl was on call I didn't immediately dash out and begin looking around. First, I did not know the exact location. And second, I know how these things usually pan out - Someone tells me they are having numerous close encounters with a bird - I leap up to do some spotting, but the bird gets wind I'm on my way and slips off never to be seen again. A few days after telling me about the Gray Owl, the same person phoned again and asked if I'd like to go out and look at the marsh where the Owl was last seen. This presented me with a difficult choice for the evening - go sit at yet another meeting, or go sit in a mosquito-infested marsh with the remote possibility of seeing a Gray Owl. And so I went Owling. After a short drive down a gravel road, about 15 minutes from town, we arrived at the marshy area where the Grey Owl was last seen. Not surprisingly, there were no signs of the Owl. But it was a nice evening and there was only a minor cloud of mosquitoes gathering around anything with a pulse. I decided to scout the vicinity and see what other birds might show themselves. My two guides, a father and son, chose to stay by the car on owl duty. I returned within 10 minutes and heard that the owl had not yet materialized. I wasn't disappointed. It was a nice spot to spend a bit of time; lots of birds sang, and the sun slowly dropped behind the fringe of trees surrounding the marsh. Suddenly there was movement across the sedge meadow. The Grey Owl appeared as if it had popped from an unseen portal directly in front of us across the wet meadow. I pulled my birding scope from the car and set it up. Through the lens I saw the unmistakable flat-faced profile of the biggest of Owls, totally absorbed in the business of mouse hunting. We studied the owl for some minutes. It moved slowly to our right, flying from perch to perch in front of a thick stand of evergreens bordering the edge of the meadow. We moved closer as the bird moved away. Soon we were in the middle of the sedge meadow and the owl, not overtly concerned about us, made its way to the edge of a pond. We had a good look until the mosquitoes grew thicker, so we retreated. On the drive back home I speculated that the owl was likely nesting somewhere near where we had seen it. A few days later some interested birders from the state of Washington read my note about the Grey Owl sighting on the visitor information board. They had the visitor information centre call me, but I was away on a trip. Hopefully they found someone else who could direct them to the owling grounds. Two days ago, I wanted to see if the Owl still held court in the same location. Though it was the middle of a hot afternoon I went to the spot. As soon as I pulled up to the edge of the meadow I saw the Owl perched on a low branch in plain view. It appeared to have its face turned towards the blazing sun but more likely watched something flying overhead. This time the Gray Owl approached me. As I stood next to my van the bird flew closer and closer, perching first on one snag then the next, until it was about 10 meters away. Through the scope every detail was revealed - it had small but long-taloned feet, a slightly yellow bill hidden in a ridge of feathers, and a loose arrangement of cryptically marked wing feathers that were being tossed in a gentle breeze. One could not ask for a better look at a Grey Owl. I withdrew leaving the Owl to its daylight hunting. It is not polite to visit a neighbour too frequently even if they are gracious when called upon. A bird on call, especially one such as this, deserves the utmost respect. To e-mail Tom CLICK HERE To look at previous column "CLICK HERE |
