Return to Graceland

Hello!  Interesting title, eh?  Now what could that be about?

No, it's not this...

And it's not this either. I have had my 2 minutes of fame on the TV but not here.

Would you believe it's about an Owl? I've blogged about her before. Last year I finally gave her a name after seeing her off/on since August 2012. I named her Grace. Only because I see it as a blessing to have such a bird near our house; she graces me with her presence on occasion.

If and when I do spot her, it's only between the Spring and early Autumn season. Where does she go in the Winter? Probably deeper into the woods, in the thicker conifers for shelter. She's not exactly a sure thing to spot during the warmer months either but this is the time I do see her, and usually in the same tree.

Seeing her on this day, June 1st, 2016 was my first sighting in a long time. Last time was early October 2015. It feels like a long time but not almost 9 months.

I believe sometimes things happen for a reason. How things played out with this Owl encounter was like a series of mini unrelated events that somehow made this happen.

We've been in home renovation hell for about 2 months now. Just one little thing after another, small set backs, annoyances but slowly things are coming together. One good thing about it, even though it's draining our bank account and our spirit at times, it's giving me a reminder that I can do stuff, things I used to do before and I'm learning about other things. It's given me strength and determination. Strength to move our washing machine and dryer about the basement on my own. Determination to get this over and done with so we can enjoy the basement as well as the summer out back. This June 1st morning I spent some time down there after some new flooring was installed. An hour plus and I called it a day as I really wanted to get out for a little wildlife moment before work and I also wanted to check in on our Peregrine Falcon family (the kids will be flying soon).

During my work at home, I'm hearing from Angie about a TTC nightmare on the subway line. A small fire at one of the stations totally messed things up for thousands of morning commuters. After about 2 hours of her at the station she turned around and returned back home. I stayed here, waiting for her arrival.

She gets home and less than 45 minutes later service resumes on the subway line. I offer to drive her to the subway since I wanted to check on the Falcons. Away we go.

I arrive on site at Islington and Bloor, pay for my parking and hang out on the side of the street. I see Lucky (adult male) flying back and forth a couple times. I can see one of the kids sitting on the edge of the ledge, looking out to the big world in front of him. Soon he will be taking his first flights and hopefully I am there for him in this critical moment. I should find some of my old Falcon blogs to attach here which explain more about the watch. I can see mom, O'Connor, sitting on top of the webcam. I can't see the rest of the kids (there are 4 total) and I suspect they are hanging out underneath the webcam where mom is.

It's a very quiet stay with the birds.

I paid for 75 minutes of parking. I was ready to leave after 30 because nothing was going on. I found the traffic to be quite busy this morning and it wasn't very relaxing having it all around me, watching people drive in circles looking for parking, delivery trucks double parking, their exhaust stinking up the street, the engine noises drowning out any bird calls, etc. But I paid for this amount of time and thought best to just sit it out and maybe something will come of this.

Not too long after a red Toyota convertible comes up the road, it slows down, the window rolls down and I see it's an old friend from high school. Her name is Jacqui. Thanks to the powers of Facebook many of us have sort of reunited after all these years. Jacqui is almost a neighbour of ours, the Humber River separates her 'hood from ours. We have a short conversation. She knows I'm down there about the birds like I am every year around this time. She's heading for some appointment in the area and is looking for a parking spot. I offer to give up my spot. I think she said "no" at first, that it was alright, she would try another round of the area. I assured her it was okay, that nothing was going on with the birds and I was thinking about leaving anyway. But I think she did another tour of the streets before that happened. A number of cars had passed me by, people giving me either dirty or hopeful looks as I lingered about my truck, wishing I was leaving. Jacqui comes around again and I give up my spot. We chat for a moment about the birds, what's going on this year up there and said "goodbye".

I'm heading home now. I had it in my head to give myself a certain amount of time to be out before going home and getting ready for work. I look at the clock, I still have some time left. I thought maybe I should just go home and get things done at a slower pace. I'm around the corner from our house and decided to stop in a nearby park I frequent. Boy am I so glad I did!

I'm hearing lots of bird calls. There are a number of Chimney Swifts flying over the parking area. I tune into some Blue Jays calling steadily in the distance. It wasn't a stress call, just steady squawking. I decided to head over in that direction and investigate. Boy am I so glad I did! Didn't I just say that in the last paragraph?

Here is what I saw...

SWEET!

While I knew it was a Great Horned Owl. I was even more excited that it was the return of Grace. How do I know? I just do.

As you may have noticed in the photos so far, she was not having a very peaceful morning as 4 Blue Jays harassed her non-stop. They screamed at her steadily and each one took a turn swooping at her head. Poor Grace. She wasn't bothering anyone.

No rest for this big Owl.

2 Jays giving her some grief.

She's not yawning here.

It was wonderful to see her again after almost 9 months. I won't deny there was some excitement to seeing the action. I did feel bad for her though. She just wanted to sleep.

Despite the Jays bugging her to no end, my presence did not go by unnoticed.

I meant no harm unlike the Jays. I'm down on the ground and can only watch from a distance.

The whole ordeal lasted maybe 5 minutes. I watched Grace take flight and disappear through the trees. Unfortunately the Jays were not done with her yet. But I was. I did not follow the fray.

So if there was no TTC delay, no Angie coming home and delaying my outing, no Jacqui showing up in the area where I was parked watching the Falcons; would this have happened? If I stayed at the Falcon site until my time ran out, and even if I decided to go peek in that park after that time, I would have missed all of this. Maybe I would have tuned in to the Jays, but they were much deeper in the woods now and I probably would have ignored it due to time restraints.

Okay, how about one last oddity regarding this?

In the near 4 years I have only ever seen Grace in this tree twice. June 1st 2016 and June 1st 2015. I kid you not! Thanks to Facebook memories, I got the reminder. I remember how excited I was to see her that morning as she actually had a kill in her talons. It was something very different than my every other time of her just snoozing high in another pine tree nearby.

Welcome back Grace! I see I've just given the park a new name too.

Here is a very short video of the action from the moment, click here.

Take My Advice

On Friday I took advantage of a beautiful late October morning with the warm sun and blue skies. I knew Saturday was calling for rain. So I went out for a woodland walk not far from our home. I was in the mood to be alone, not for any real reason, just wanted a quiet peaceful outing with all nature had to offer. Sure I live in Toronto and that can be hard to accomplish but I know some spots.

I'm walking for an hour or so, looking and listening. I see probably 8000 American Robins in my journey and little else. Yes, slight exaggeration on the Robins but there was a lot of them regardless. If this was all I was to see in my outing, so be it. I'm at peace with the world in this moment and that's great.

I'm walking in the woods, the canopy of fall colored trees is breath taking. The trail is covered in the colorful fallen leaves. I know the trail well and don't have to worry about straying off. Suddenly up ahead I see another human. He was completely decked out in camouflage gear from head to toe and carrying a big ass lens like mine. Some days I wish I didn't see some individuals like this, wishing their camo clothes would REALLY work on all. I had hoped to pass the person by without any words being said other than maybe "good morning" but that wasn't the case. The guy pretty much blocked me on the path, no hello or nothing, just "have you seen any Owls today?"

Fuck! Why one of these types? It's like clock work, late October and out come the shit heads. I recognized the guy from a couple encounters a few years ago. I was hoping he would not recognize me but I guess that is hard to do since I have a tendency to stand out in a bird crowd with my not so stereotypical appearance... a stereotype that really isn't as common a sighting in this day and age with bird people (we come in all shapes and sizes, ages, etc).

So yes, he did recognize me, but didn't remember my name. He just said I remember you from the other winter. "Uh huh" was all I could say. I knew what the guy was going to talk about since he's done this every time I've seen him in the past. It's all about his photos. His memory card is full of them, photos from 2, 3, 4, 5 years ago. He prides about these glorious shots of his, which really aren't all that good. He's no pro, neither am I, but I don't go running around bragging even when I do get something pretty awesome. He's a self proclaimed expert on Owls, Coyotes, Hawks and Deer with a love for the Bucks in full antlers. I remember his talk about Owls the other winter and so many times I had to correct him on his sprees about them.  He didn't know many of the species migrate and that Toronto is a southern region for them.  He has this bizarre belief that Saw-whet Owls are tame birds and enjoy the presence of humans, so much that "in your face" is acceptable because the little Owl does not fly away.

He tried to show me his photos, and I showed him my lack of interest. Some pics I had seen how many years ago? I would even tell him that. It's not very often that I am rude to people but this guy does get that side of me. What's really sad is he is so into himself that he doesn't see the lack of interest on my part, the slight insulting jabs, nothing. He asked me about a few creatures we both knew of from the other winter. I told him they all died and gave him slight stories on each one and how they met their demise. I could see the wheels in his head turning, really wondering if I was fucking with him or not. Why am I wasting my time with this guy right now? He doesn't deserve any of my time. In the past I've had to endure this person follow me, never shutting up and if something came in our sights, he would chase after it. Of course he would spook the hell out of the creature and ruin it for all. A friend and I ditched him a couple times one morning, he'd go one way after blabbing our heads off, and we would simply go the other or turn around and head back the other way. He would notice us ditching him but somehow later would find us again; try and gain our friendship, or probably just an ear to listen to his bullshit and hopefully "oooooooooooo" and "ahhhhhhhhh" over his photos.

This morning as he yammered, I gave him little eye contact. I kept looking elsewhere. I even told him at one point to be quiet because there was a very pissed off Cooper's Hawk in the area. The bird was vocalizing every 30 to 60 seconds, sometimes taking flight from the tree and I could see through the leaves it was after something in the same tree. After saying that, I cursed myself because maybe he would tune in, figure it out, or decide to follow me. Once again, the guy was too into his own bullshit and photos to get it. Luck have it for me though, I believe the light went on in the guy's head that I had no interest to be in his company any longer (not that I ever did). He quieted for a second and then was saying "see you later" or something but I was already many steps up the path, leaving him standing there. Thank Jeebus he went the other way!

I advise people to keep their eyes and ears open, and to shut their mouth when out in the wild world. Listen to the birds and animals, they will tell you things. The Cooper's Hawk continued it's squawky aggression at something high up a tree in the area. A few Squirrels cried out their unhappiness to whatever was going on as well. I slowly made my way over to the area of interest, occasionally looking over my shoulder to ensure I was not being followed. No sight of that jack ass. I already had a plan to not hit the location if I saw him following me, and would do a route out of the area and back to the parking lot. So ya, with him gone, I'm really feeling lucky now!

The trees are still quite full of leaves, while I could hear the Hawk, I couldn't exactly pin point which tree the commotion was coming from. With all the yellow leaves above, it was like all the trees melted together. The Squirrels were all around me, clinging to the sides of the tree trunks, crying away. I waited and watched, hoping to spot the Hawk take another flight. Finally he did. I refused to turn my head or blink. I even pointed my finger up at the spot while I got my bins out with the other hand. I'm looking and still don't see anything but the Hawk on a branch. I know something is there. I suspect an Owl. I scan and scan and scan some more. I watch the Hawk, it's still pretty pissed, and takes another flight. I kinda see something now. One move to the right and I lost all sight. Two moves to the left and I see a grayish body with some streaking. I'm betting my left nut it's a Barred Owl. Though I was in disbelief at the height this Owl was at; I'd never seen one so high up... 60 ft maybe. He was in the leaf cover, occasionally getting some sun as everything blew around with the warm gusty winds.

Can you spot the Owl in the leaves?

Finally I see a face. Yes, there is a Barred Owl up there and it's looking right down at me now.

The Cooper's Hawk cared little about my presence down on the ground. He wanted this Owl out of his turf. The dueling pair making some eye contact up there.

I don't like to see animals fight but I was pretty pumped about discovering this Barred Owl; it being the first of the season for me. I really don't see them throughout the year but somehow have been fortunate to spot one or two the last few Autumn seasons. I always wish Angie or a couple good buds of mine were present with these finds, but nothing can be done about that, so I take in the moment. A few photos, watch a bit, a few more photos. I'm well away from them physically but I still think about my time there, how their focus can still be on me, I'm added stress. I leave the area and go wander elsewhere for a little while. Some Jays, Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers but nothing comparing to what I left back there. Sure those birds are great, I love them all, we see them daily in the backyard... how often do I see a Barred Owl? It's getting near time for me to leave but I make sure I pass the area one last time on my way out. The Cooper's Hawk seemed to have given up as it was no where to be seen or heard. The Squirrels even stopped their cries. The Owl was still up on that high branch in the leaf clutter.

Zoning now.

I went home just beaming about this outing. I didn't forget about the guy I ran into prior to the Owl. I laughed about his misfortune. "Serves him right!" is what I told myself. Of course if I ever run into him again I won't tell him what he missed. He doesn't deserve that kind of information and more so I just don't want to converse with him.

I had the opportunity to revisit the area about 6 hours later, and I did. It was late in the day now, the sun would be setting soon. The area was quiet. I decided to start my search where I last saw the bird. Of course he was not there. No birds were alerting me to his presence. The Squirrels were doing their thing, either oblivious or they knew he wasn't around now. I started to walk the trail south and a few short steps along I spotted him just to the east. He was maybe 20 or so feet up a tree, just watching the world go by. Amazing views of him from the path! The only downfall was the dim lighting due to the leaves above us. Occasionally the wind blew the leaves apart, letting in the last light of day. I worked with what I had to capture a few more photos of this bird. A few years ago I'd have been screwed to get anything since I had no clue how to work in manual settings.

Total zen moment with the bird.

He's well aware I am there and watching him.  An Owl can hear a rodent under 3 ft of snow so surely it can hear a 175 lb guy walking on crunchy leaves.

I'm not a fan of full frame shots of most birds especially in the fall when Mother Nature paints such a beautiful background.  I'm loving this shot below.

It was quite dark from this angle, so I cranked the shit out of my ISO and some other tweaks.  Gee I'm using some colorful words today!

The larger Owls seem to have less concern over a human presence compared to the smaller species.  Plus I am not close to him thanks to my 500mm lens.

I could have sat there for the next hour and watched him zone.  I probably would have leaned myself up against a tree and passed out too.  Notice the changes in the photos?  Messing with them settings.

So take my advice if this is something you don't really do already... eyes and ears open, mouth shut. But don't shun all the camouflage wearing, camera carrying people though as some of them are really nice, some are my friends.