Who’s Out There? a DAY owl?!
I sat at the edge of an open field, one where the evergreen trees struggled to take hold again around the edges of the new big leaf maples, and blackberry vines.
It was once a forest of Douglas fir and Red Cedar where wildlife thrived.
Now it looked like a giant hay cutter had taken over. And in a way it had.
As I wrote about this alien world, above me and slightly left I heard toot toot…. toot toot. My skin tingled. I held my breath for as long as I could as to make sure I didn’t miss the sound and again toot toot…..toot toot….toot toot.
I boogied in my chair. I wanted to hug the owl making that sound. New to the northwest, I didn’t know what bird it was but I was CERTAIN it was an owl. An owl that calls during the bright of day!
I rummaged through my Jeep looking for my bird book, but 3 months of things were camped in there and I couldn’t remember where it was.
I sat back down on my comfy beach chair. A few minutes later the call came again, toot-toot…toot-toot, and then I saw him fly off! I wondered if the cloudy day and darkened forest ( the part I was in, not the part I was looking at) confused the nocturnal animal.
I couldn’t wait to get back into reception so I could find out what owl was serenading me during the middle of the afternoon! Was I a threat? Was it a mating call? So many questions that would have to wait many hours.
When I got back into reception, I started listening to all the calls of owls that are known to be in the Northwest corner of Oregon that I wasn’t familiar with. And after about 4 different birds, I heard it come through the speakers on my computer, the sound of the Northern Pygmy Owl. An owl who lives on the edges of open areas, that, in this case, were newly created by the clear cut thanks to the state of Oregon.
The Northern Pygmy Owl is an uncommon owl. One of the cool things about it is that it looks like it has eyes on the back of its head. This small owl that’s no more than 7 inches long has bright yellow eyes and a matching beak. It is truly a day time loving owl, something I didn’t even know existed. Being that it’s diurnal also indicates that it feeds on birds more than it’s nocturnal cousins who feed on night prowling mammals like skunks and moles.
The Northern Pygmy Owl has different colors depending on where it is. In the Western Cascades where I was, they’re dark brown to match the darkened forests. In most easterly climates they’re a lighter grey-brown. There’s even a reddish version.
When I was a wildlife rehabilitator I noticed, like small dogs, the little owls were the fiercest. They would clack their beaks and hiss when I got near them to feed. I imagine this little owl is the same.
Keep your eyes peeled, If you see a small bird being harassed by other song birds, you may just be getting to see a Northern Pygmy Owl. I hope he toots at you too!
