Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove: Images and Video

My birding friend, Carlos, agreed to help me cover a couple of count areas this morning as part of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for the Provo, Utah Count Circle. We started at 5:30 in the morning so we could attempt to locate a couple of owl species before sunrise. Snow was falling and it was about 24 degrees Fahrenheit, well below freezing. We struck out on our owl hunt. We verbalized that we must be crazy as we stood in falling snow and freezing temperatures while normal people were asleep in their warm beds.

We went to breakfast to wait for the sun to rise. We got off to a bang with our daylight census when we immediately saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Cooper's Hawk. However, the steady snow fall kept most birds in hiding. We were struggling to see more than Starlings, Robins, and House Finches. We eventually made our way to Provo Canyon, our second count area, and quickly found an adult Bald Eagle. We had the fortune of finding a nice raptor or two in both of our count areas, but the bird sightings quickly went down hill thereafter. The weather conditions made this year's CBC the least productive I've ever experienced. Amid the challenging circumstances Carlos and I hatched a plan make the most of our circumstances. Since we were already in Provo Canyon and less than 15 minutes from ideal habitat for Pygmy Owls and a possible Northern Goshawk, we diverted our attention from the CBC temporarily to go on a hunt at Aspen Grove, a Brigham Young University-owned mountain resort.

Our first pass through Aspen Grove was bird-less. However, just after we turned to head out Carlos and I simultaneously spotted a Northern Pygmy Owl high above us on a dead tree top. Pygmy Owls are less than seven inches long so we were seeing a small fur ball with a short tail from our vantage point. The owl flew from its original perch while both of us were looking down at our camera gear. Neither of us saw where it went. Talk about searching for a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, we relocated it atop a conifer. Again the owl flew as we were trying to get a closer look. This time it dropped out of sight, but I observed its general direction and followed it around some buildings and up a small hill. I was able to relocate it in a short Aspen Tree, about 12 feet above ground, right next to some cabins where families were playing in the snow. Carlos and I spent about twenty minutes observing, photographing, and sharing the owl with those who passed by us.

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

The whitish look at the base of the owl's bill in this image is actually the result of a snowflake that was falling and in between me and the owl when the image was captured.

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

 We wanted to see the bird at eye level so we took a few images from one of the cabins next to the owl.

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

Back down on the ground I wanted to be some closer images to see what detail could be captured despite the overcast skies. Turning up the exposure compensation helped quite a bit. I shoot .jpg files and use Google's Picasa to manage my images. That's pretty basic compared to many serious nature photographers. Consequently, all I've done with each of these images is crop, slightly sharpen, and darken them so they don't look overexposed. The bright white background is a result of increasing the exposure compensation with the camera in the field. I like the little snow crystals/flakes gathering on the side of the owl's back and head.

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

The following images attempt to show basic traits of owls. I took the image below because I wanted to show the toes and talons of these fierce little owls. Owls have four toes. The outside toe for each foot can rotated from front to back as needed. By turning it back the owls can get a good grasp on its prey.

The Talons of a Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

This shot was an attempt to include a little more of the owl's brown coloring. It was too high to get a full image from the back side.

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

With this image you see the eyelids of the owl. Owls and other birds have an extra eyelid called a nictitating membrane. You can see that membrane partially covering the eye in the second image below. The edge of the membrane is the dark line running mostly vertically on the eye. The main eyelid moves up and down, but the nictitating membrane moves more side to side. This membrane helps clean and protect the eyes.

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

 Here's a perch more common than seeing a Pygmy on an Aspen Tree. We often find them perched atop conifers or on horizontal branches that reach over top a road or other open space. Pygmy Owls like to watch for mice and other small mammals to come into the open spaces below them. Pygmy Owls will also eat other small birds.

Northern Pygmy Owl at Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

Just before we left the area I decided to make my second attempt at using the video functionality on my Nikon D7100. Lighting was not great, but the video turned out okay. This clip is less than a minute long, but it shows the tiny owl perched and looking around. You can see its chest moving as it breaths and you can see it retract its body feathers just before it takes flight. I included a slow motion replay of the owl taking flight from it's perch.

I've noticed that the sharpness of the video image is better if you click on the settings icon in the bottom, right-hand corner of the YouTube screen and select an HD setting. Otherwise, the image is a little blurry if you watch it in full screen mode.

Carlos had to end his birding activities after we left Aspen Grove. I returned to our first count area to count more birds in our first area. Once again, the first bird I spotted was a  raptor, a Merlin. Once again, the bird sightings went down hill again. I finished my assignment with the CBC and went home feeling good about completing my assigned counts, but I was really thrilled with the close encounter we had with the Pygmy Owl.