Owl Hunting

At some point during the past weekend a big book on owls made it off the bookshelf in the living room and onto the coffee table. As I paged through the spectacular photos my dad mentioned he had seen a short-eared owl the other day at a local park. That comment inspired me to insist that he take me to said park to look for said owl. The short-eared owl being diurnal is one of the easiest to see of the owl family. I have seen one short-eared owl before but that was one was only a silhouette seen in a mountainous dusk. My dad promised the sighting of an owl in broad daylight. So this morning we pulled on our arctic adventure gear, braved the cold north wind and headed out to hike around Croton Point Park. We spent half an hour frigidly walking around a grassy hilltop seeing nothing but a fleeting harrier hawk (aka marsh hawk) and a few little brown birds. Then as we crested the hill on the way back to the car the large tawny owl rose from the grasses. The owl flew around a bit swooping over the grasses, beating his wings in strong, deep strokes then disappeared back into the grass. We walked around a bit more hoping to scare him up again to no avail. We did however find the harrier again and got a real good look at the hawk in flight and sitting in the grass. Harrier hawks and short-eared owls often coexist in grassy habitats though I do not think they are friends. So our venturing out into the cold was well rewarded and I will say this for my dad - when he promises you an owl he delivers!