Allie n Me

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending a few hours at the Toronto Sportsman Show, more specifically with the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and their educational birds.

It's great to just sit right up at the tables, having one of the birds on glove, and talking to the general public about these birds, the mission to help Peregrine Falcons in the GTA, or just shoot the shit about any and all birds. Sometimes I can teach someone something, sometimes someone teaches me something.

I love all the birds but my fave on the glove has to be Allie, or rather Alexandra the Great Horned Owl.

She's a big lovely girl and so chill. She just sits and takes in the world around her. Of course I am not her only friend and admirer but this is about me, my time with her, and the joy it brings.

A crap selfie from my lap...

I'm not one for talking in front of groups of people, I'm not one for getting my picture taken, but I forget my fears and don't really give a hoot about stuff when I am with her.

She is like an old friend I am more than happy to see once or twice a year.

It's Good Friday. I don't have a whole lot going on at the moment so I thought I would throw something on here about a recent event.

I do my best to publicize in advance when/where Allie is going to be, especially if I am there too. Maybe I will see some of you next time?

Masters of Camouflage Part 2

I got looking at some recent photos of mine with the Owls, and thought I'd share a few of them, with some good showings of their mastering the camouflage. Enjoy!

A Long-eared Owl sure blends in on the edge of a cedar at a lake front park. The local Crows knew he was there though. I tell people all the time, listen to the wild when out and about, and some may point out such sightings you could easily walk right by.



A Great Horned Owl that I discovered right around the corner from the house showing it's skill of blending in.



And the first day that I noticed it, it wasn't as above. I happened to spot it's backside way up in a pine. How I ever took notice to her that day, without the assistance of any alarmed wildlife or online reports is beyond me. Just pure luck.



I never thought a Barred Owl could disappear in the woods, their feathers appear quite white on the eyes, when in close view. But a little further back and I can see why so many people walked right past this guy in Etobicoke in November.



I know a few people who've gone the same route we have looking for Snowy Owls this winter and say they never saw a single one every visit. While we saw on average 3 each time and others we know were spotting 6! Of course it could very well be the Snowys weren't around, but then again, maybe a double or triple check on a lump out in the field is needed.



Maybe if I didn't centre the Northern Saw-whet Owl here, you might have to take a moment to find him?



The Screeches are the true masters in my opinion.



And of course, so many times, we think we see something, such as an Owl, but it turns out to be not the case. I really did think that lump on the branch was one. I bet my next walk of this area when Spring migration is in full swing will have me do a double look here again.



Like Ferris Bueller says "life moves pretty fast, you gotta stop and look around once in a while, you just may miss something" and I add this... "like an Owl".

Thanks for viewing, comments are always appreciated. I don't forsee any more Owl blogs/photos coming up in the next while as Spring migration is rapidly approaching. But you never know. In the meantime, perhaps you may want to check out my first "Masters of Camouflage" blog, or how about why it's not good to tell everyone in the world where an Owl is, especially a nesting one with my "Stealing An Owl Ain't Cool..." blog and lastly, one of the most heartfelt important blogs I have done regarding a lovely little Saw-whet Owl that roosted in our area this winter "Through the Eyes of a Saw-whet Owl"... it's a long one that should keep ya going till my next entry. :)

Morning Stroll and...

With the brutal heat and humidity of this summer, birding has almost become a distant memory because it feels so long ago.  I know I have birded, despite the heat, but haven't seen a whole lot of anything.  Or rather, nothing that I am not seeing in my backyard for the most part.

There have been less blazing days lately and I've started to wander away from the backyard again.

Not straying too far from home because of some home projects; but you know, sometimes just knowing your own neighbourhood is a good thing and you'd be surprised what is actually around your house at times if you just stop and look.

Prime example, I found this Great Horned Owl literally in our neighbourhood.  I am talking just a little more than a stone throw away from our front door.

He/she was a wonderful surprise this past Monday.  And honestly an Owl was the last thing in my head of birds I thought I might see today.  I associate Owls with the colder months although I am well aware Great Horns and Screech Owls are about the city all year round.

I just happened to look up into a large pine tree and notice an odd "stump" on one of the branches.  Instantly I thought, "holy s**t, that's an Owl!" but argued with myself about it, debating it, until I got the bins on this object for confirmation.

I should have taken a photo without the zoom, so you could see the distance, and how well these creatures blend in with their surroundings.  I guess not that well this time since I happened to see him.

I moved around the tree, keeping a good distance back.  For one, I didn't want to stress him out; although most start to feel some stress as soon as they take notice of a person watching them which is why people really need to limit their Owl viewing to 5 minutes or so and move on.  And second, backing away from the tree gives a person a better frontal view of the bird as opposed to being under the tree and under the bird providing the bird even sticks around with your invasion of his "house".  Hey, another good reason is that he just might s**t on you.  Some say it's good luck, you'll come into money, win a lottery; trust me, I've been s**t on enough times by various birds to know that is just a myth.

Anyways, viewing the Owl from the front now, I could see he was awake.  And he wasn't calm.  Which surprised me because every other Great Horned Owl I have seen in the wild, high up in a tree, sit up there like Kings and pay little attention to us puny Humans walking about the ground below them.  But this one, he wasn't relaxed at all.  And it wasn't just with me looking at him.  Noisy children in the distance got his attention.  Some city workers maintaining the grounds with power tools nearby had him looking over that way.  Squabbling Robins in another tree was another seeming annoyance.  And of course, he would turn back and glare at me as well.

I cut my time with him even shorter than I usually spend with these creatures.  I felt bad for him.  Was he just grumpy today?  Was he a younger Owl and curious of all that was going on around him?  Maybe he just arrived on this location recently and is still checking it out, seeing if it's good grounds to live from, and adjusting to the sights and sounds around him?  Who knows?  So I took a few photos and then moved on...

Ya, he looks cranky...

As I wandered the woods, I happened to find a few Raccoons, like I almost always do wherever I go. 

This one was perhaps a little camera shy?

 I passed the Great Horn one final time as I headed for home.  Still in the same tree, just moved a little higher up.  I was still bothered by his agitated state.

As I key this, it's Wednesday now, and I went for another walk today before some errands and found him once again.  I was delighted to see him in a much more relaxed state on this fine morning.  I watched him with the bins for a moment, took this photo and immediately moved on.  He's content, and I aim to do my part to keep him that way.

A Story Long Overdue

Back in early May, I had heard from my friend John that our neighbourhood woods had a new guest in way of a Great Horned Owl. He and a mutual friend, Graham, had spotted it a few days earlier.

Angie and I had just started our holidays with many plans on the go already but were going to try and squeeze in some time to hopefully see this Owl so close to home.

Friday May 11th, we happened to be out in Whitby at another famous wooded area which can be quite a hotspot in the Spring migration for Warblers and others migrants since it is right along the lake line. We happened to see the resident Great Horned Owls this particular morning, and had a great viewing of the mother and one of her chicks as seen below.

We arrived home in the mid-afternoon, ready for a bit of a nap after such an early start. I had just drove the GMC up the drive, didn`t even have it in park yet, and my cell phone was ringing. It was Graham. I assumed he was down in the woods and had spotted our hopeful new resident. I was correct except this was followed by `I think there is something wrong with the Owl`. Graham and John had nicknamed him `Popeye`. I wish I could tell more of their story with him the days earlier but I wasn`t there.

My friends had seen the Owl a couple times in the past week but today he was sitting on the paved path for walkers and cyclists. He did not move as bikes raced past him. Owls typically do not sit on the ground, perhaps upon the catch of a meal, they may eat it there, but for the most part do prefer to sit high up in the trees. Graham had seen it on the ground a day earlier; he had caught himself a Garter Snake and was consuming it. But with what was going on this day, it was very clear the Owl was not right and well.

Graham had called me seeking out emergency wildlife care numbers that I knew of. The only one I had come to mind was The Toronto Wildlife Centre.

Angie told me to get myself down there and see what else I could do, since she knew there was no way either of us was going to relax now. She stayed at home, researching further on such situations, and staying by the phone. I gathered some towels and the animal carrier if needed and headed down there. This is how I found the Owl...

I met Graham and it was a long couple hours with a number of phone calls to various places like TWC, The Humane Society, another organization some passerby suggested to my friend. And I also called my friend Tracy from The Canadian Peregrine Foundation for any further assistance, such as over the phone instructions on the situation. Tracy has rescued many Peregrine Falcons in the wild so I figured a Great Horned Owl is very similar.

We all knew TWC was our best hope for this guy. But TWC is run mostly by volunteers and being early May, its their busiest time of the year. Between all the animal babies arriving for one reason or another to countless injured birds through migration, the centre is just swamped. And their volunteers are beyond busy with caring for every creature and taking phone calls with more animal emergencies every hour. Its unfortunate their response time cannot be as quick at this time of the year.

Graham had called and left a message. About an hour and a bit later, I also called and left another message. John was notified earlier about what was going on through Graham and luck have it that John was actually working up near TWC. He was finishing up, called us to see how things were going and decided to stop into the centre to hopefully speak with someone regarding the situation with the Owl. It was almost as if fate stepped in right when needed. And I believe moments after John had arrived at the centre, one of TWC`s volunteer drivers, Andrew, had just returned to the centre. Another moment of fate it seems! And soon after, John and Andrew were on their way to our favorite wooded spot near home to hopefully rescue this Owl.

From the time John and Andrew arrived on scene, it wasn`t long after that Andrew had Popeye in his hands and was walking back to the van with him. We all worked together, under Andrew`s instructions and guidance, to distract the bird with various light noises like breaking fallen sticks on the ground, snapping our fingers and low whistles while Andrew set a net over him. Popeye put up no resistance; another sign he was clearly unwell.

Andrew made a few phone calls back at the parking lot, even one to The Owl Foundation. I was raising my hand to take him there right away if possible since I had been to the Foundation back in the fall. But the decision was made to return back to TWC for further assessment. Andrew had already warned us this Owl was emaciated (meaning deteriorated from within due to starvation) and one of his legs was black and pretty much mummified due to a tie or wrap around it of cable of some sorts. One can wonder how the cable ended up around his leg and so tight but it doesn`t matter now. And with the lack of use with this leg, his other leg was now very swollen.

Sadly but understandably so, after his arrival at TWC, an assessment was made with the vets and it was best for him to be euthanized. We had such high hopes for this bird, especially after the adventure with him this day and what my friends saw of him earlier in the week. But at least he wasn`t suffering any further and kept his dignity in the end, something we all hope for.

I realized that afternoon something else, I missed my friends John and Graham. I used to see John quite often down in the woods, which I realize I never made mention of what woods... Lambton. It was there where we met and became friends through our mutual interest in wildlife and photography. And it is also where I met Graham. And John and Graham also met there. But with changes in work schedules for me and other events over the past year and a bit, we`ve just not run into each other very often.  During the wait this day, Graham and I had a lot of time to catch up and share our recent tales from the wild.  And after the smoke settled later in the day, John and I had time to catch up as well. Hopefully after the summer, when most people leave the parks as the weather gets cooler, we`ll be seeing more of each again through fall migration and into the winter months. Yes, I know it`s July now; but the colder months are far better birding months than the summer.  They are good guys, and over the past couple years, I`ve had some shifts in friendships for one reason or another; and have met a number of great people out there who share a common passion with the wild world around us.

Here is a nice photo John took of Popeye.  I can see through this why he got the name he did.

But that is life, it`s constant death of one, birth of another.  We were treated to a young Great Horned Owl sighting during our trip to Point Pelee National Park less than a week later.

This Owl caused some commotion amongst many people, creating a bit of a traffic jam in the park with so many trying to see him just mere feet from the road.

And we learned of another Great Horned Owl family west of Toronto.  This is a mother Owl who has at least one chick behind her up inside this bridge.  A very odd place to have a nest but also very safe being a few hundred feet up in a concrete structure.  No predators to worry about and that bridge is about the strongest nest a bird can have, it can take one hell of a wallop from Mother Nature and remain standing.

I wanted to tell this story a while back; but with Spring migration, and then the Falcon watches, there wasn`t the time to piece this together...  until now.

Stealing an Owl ain't cool... and you suck if you disagree!

I met an Owl recently, actually met her a few times over the past couple years; but with my last visit, I was reminded on how important it is to keep knowledge of anything to do with Owls pretty much a secret from most people.

You might tell someone you totally trust, and they honestly may have the same care/concern for these mystical creatures; but all it takes is to tell one wrong person somewhere down the line and bad things can happen.

I only have bits of this Owl's actual story and will piece it together how I can imagine it unfolded. And after reading this, perhaps another person will realize the importance of protecting these birds from the yahoos of the world.

A Great-horned Owl pair nested in a wooded area near town. People had heard the Owls with their familiar "hoo h'hoos" from dusk til dawn.

A couple who lived very close to where the nightly calls were made let their curiosity get the better of them and decided to seek out these Owls. And luck have it, after a couple nights, they pin-pointed a location and set out the next morning with daylight over them to find the nest. Success! And what a surprise to find a pair of Owl chicks in the nest!

Not wanting to be selfish and keep this marvelous find to themselves, they brought a couple friends to the nest to see it for themselves. And these couple friends told a couple more friends and before long a lot of people knew and saw this nest.

Somewhere through the lines of communication, the nest was told to a couple younger males who also came to see the nest. It was atop a rotted old tree stump not much more than 10 ft or so above ground. After a couple visits with the Owls over a few days, they got talking about how easy it would be to climb right up to that nest. As the conversation continued, ideas on how cool it would be to have an Owl as a pet were brought up from the depths of one's mind. And before you know it, people coming to see the nest discovered that one Owl chick had gone missing. People figured this is the natural way of things and perhaps this young Owl was sick and fallen prey to something through the night. What else could it be? Sure it's unfortunate but that's nature for you. And people watched the remaining chick grow over the next number of weeks.

Little did they know that not too far off, in a shed at a neighbour's home, there were the two males with the missing Owl chick. The Owl being very young quickly became "human imprinted" and mistaking these lads as it's parents. No more was this a wild Owl. It was a human, so it thought. And it seemed perfectly normal to sit in this enclosure (shed) with it's parents and have food and beverage brought to it. Isn't that what all parents do for their young? All the kids love potato chips, soda pop and McDonalds cheeseburgers! This is awesome!

But after a 10 days or so this idea of keeping an Owl as a pet became stupid, boring and too much work. So the boys confided in another man from town and he thought he could do much better with this Owl in his home, not just a shed. No more potato chips for this Owl, it's a meat eating bird, and it shall have meat everyday! Steak, pork chops, chicken thighs and still them cheeseburgers because even the adults about town love them McDonalds cheeseburgers too! Unfortunately the man had a bit of a drinking problem and as he consumed his daily dozen of his favorite brew, he became quite generous with the suds and began feeding the Owl beer as well.

This of course didn't last too long as word got out in the small town. The local veterinarian got involved and figuring that he took care of sick cats and dogs, that he'd be better suited to care for this Owl, and even perhaps save it's life. Humans cannot live on junk food and beer for as long as they hope. How can one think it would be good for an Owl? Yes, without a doubt this Owl surely would die sooner than later under a non-vet's care.

This non-avian doctor did what he could for the Owl. Uncooked ground beef and chicken livers was a daily dietary source must. And water.

I'd like to believe this vet had the Owl for less than a week before his good judgement, and being a doctor for our animal friends, had him make the right decision to turn this Owl over to people who could care for her properly now. And through some contacts and phone calls, the young Great-horned Owl was soon in the care of a Raptor Centre in our province of Ontario.

The Owl lives in an environment now where her happiness comes above all else. She is fed properly with more natural food that an Owl eats in the wild... mice, young chicks, etc... all humanely destroyed (sorry), frozen and fed later on thawed out.

She can never be freed to fly where she chooses, to hunt for her own survival and feel that sense of freedom and independence. Now don't go feeling bad for her now because really, she doesn't know any better.

We cannot paint everyone with the same brush in that town or anywhere else. But really, do we need to take that chance?

Owls are an extremely rare sighting in the greater Toronto area for most people even though Great Horns and Screeches are year round residents. Half a dozen or so of the 11 species in this province only come to the area for the winter months (3 to 4 months tops) make it a special treat for those of us who appreciate and respect them. But some get a little too "goo goo ga ga" over the birds and forget about the Owl's safety, or just do not know, and while it's really cool to see one, we must protect them with a code of silence... unless you REALLY REALLY trust another or perhaps you are twice their size and a tad off balance and will tear them a new one if they did something which could bring harm to the Owl.

Anyways, as I said, I've pieced together a few tid bits of what her story was and made my own tale from it. I hope you enjoyed and maybe took something from it.

And now meet Octavius the "stolen" Great-horned Owl 5 years later...

 Here she is last December at a private photo shoot Angie and I took part in.  All money goes to the birds.

You may visit her at Mountsberg's Raptor Centre in Campbellville, just west of Milton.