A Compilation of Terrible Owl Photos From 2018

I often mention that owls are perhaps my most favorite group of birds.  They are beautiful, powerful and mysterious; every encounter with one of these magnificent creatures evokes a sense of awe and wonder.

North America boasts an impressive 19 species of owl, all of which can be found in the Western United States.  Over a dozen species (15-ish, to be more accurate) are found in California alone.

That number is a little vague due to owls' nocturnal habits and many species' preference for remote habitats.  For example, biologists suspect there may be Boreal Owls wintering deep in the remote montane forests of Northern California and the Sierra Nevada, where snowfall is heavy, roads or even trails are few and far between, and humans rarely venture.  And desert-dwelling Elf Owls may or may not be still clinging to survival in dwindling habitat along the Colorado River.

While some species are rarely seen, others are quite common.  Though populations of Spotted Owl, Great Gray Owl and Burrowing Owl are in decline over parts (or all) of their ranges, other species, like the Great Horned Owl, Barn Owl and Western Screech Owl (our three most common), have adapted well to living alongside humans and are frequently encountered.

Great Horned Owl, Merced NWR

A list of California's 15-ish owls species follows:
Barn Owl
Flammulated Owl
Western Screech-owl
Great-horned Owl
Snowy Owl (only periodically ventures south into Northern California during the winter of irruption years)
Northern Pygmy Owl
Elf Owl (maybe - see note above)
Burrowing Owl
Spotted Owl
Barred Owl
Great Gray Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Boreal Owl (possibly - see note above)
Northern Saw-whet Owl

Okay, so now you want to know the four additional species of owl found in North America:
Eastern Screech Owl (the range of which extends west into Montana and eastern Wyoming)
Whiskered Screech Owl (of southeastern Arizona and Mexico)
Northern Hawk Owl (a circumpolar species of boreal forests)
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (of southern Arizona and Mexico)

So, if owls are relatively common and abundant, and California hosts so many cool species of owl, why don't I write about them more often?

The answer is simple, and can be attributed to my considerably less-than-professional photography skills!  I like to use only my own photos on this blog, and the simple truth is... owls can be extremely difficult to photograph!

There are a few reasons for this.  The first is, sometimes even diurnal birds, perched in the wide open sunshine, are just too far away for my humble zoom lens to handle.  And the result is a less-than-crisp Burrowing Owl.

Less-than-crisp, too-far-away burrowing owl, Merced NWR, Feb. 2018

My next excuse is this: owls of all types (except maybe barn owls) are masters of camouflage.  If you ever get the privilege to examine the plumage of a Western Screech Owl or Great Horned Owl up close, you will marvel at how intricately and flawlessly it mimics tree bark.  Sitting still on a branch, peering out of a nesting cavity, even sitting exposed on a nest, owls can virtually disappear.  And the result is a birder's version of Where's Waldo, known as "Spot the Owl."

Great Horned Owl, camouflaged on its nest, San Joaquin River NWR, spring 2018

My third reason for failing to deliver stunning-quality owl photos can be blamed on... laziness and not wanting to carry a large camera everywhere I go.  No, let's not call it laziness.  Let's call it... my interest in occasionally perusing hobbies other than birding!  (*Gasp*)  Because it must be said, I do enjoy a good hike.  And I've found that if I try to hike while birding, I get frustrated because I don't get very far up the mountain or down the trail.  And if I try to bird while hiking, I get frustrated because I don't see many birds.  It's best to dedicate my time to one worthy pursuit or the other: walk slowly, listen well, see lots of birds; or, hike briskly, enjoy the exercise, scale a mountain.

But sometimes even that doesn't work out!  While hiking last weekend in the Sierra, a Northern Pygmy Owl flew across the trail and perched in a tree maybe 20 or 30 yards away.  I was hiking.  I didn't have my camera.  Naturally, this resulted in the most atrociously grainy photo of a tiny, vaguely owl-shaped speck that, I promise you, is a Northern Pygmy Owl with a skink in its talons.

This could have been an excellent (or at least decent) photo of a Northern Pygmy
Owl... if I had my camera with me, and not just my cell phone.

The last reason is probably the most obvious one: most owls are largely nocturnal.  They prefer to be active at night, when I prefer to be in my bed, and they sleep during the day, when I would most like to see them!  This really can't be helped; it's part of what makes owls so wonderfully mysterious, and encounters with them so special.  But the results are sleepy owls that won't open their eyes...

Dozing Long-eared Owl, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, spring 2018

...grainy, dark night-time photos taken without the proper equipment for night photography...

One of our neighborhood Western Screech Owls

... and, on really special occasions, photos of complete and utter blackness!  If you listen closely to the video below, you can just hear the haunting caterwauling of a pair of Barred Owls emanating from somewhere out there, in the blackest of nights.

A pair of Barred Owls, caterwauling in the night 

But, every once in a while, I get lucky.  Some photos turn out.

Long-eared Owl, California Valley, spring 2017

For those interested in owls, their fascinating natural history and how to spot them in the wild, I highly recommend the following books:

Field Guide to Owls of California and the West
Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North American and the Caribbean
How to Spot an Owl
Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls

And, for photos of owls that are actually recognizable, check out this Audubon article on owls in California.

Happy New Year!