March 19th Owl Prowl

A virtual place for planning to get together in the real world. Help plan photography hikes, walks, and meet-ups.

Moderators: Brenda, Kelly

Going?

I'm in
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44%
Me and guest(s)
3
33%
Maybe
1
11%
No way
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11%
 
Total votes: 9
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mrbirdnerd
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Yeah Matt,
The planks are still there, with about 2-3 inches of water beneath them. One good thing about going down that path after a nice cold night is the ice that keeps you on top of the muddy mess.

Kyle, to get to the Osprey platform you go straight at the intersection of the trails, you will end up heading toward the beach. Just as you pass a fallen tree that is above your head, you will see some Wood Duck boxes just off the trail on your left side. There is not really a well worn path, but you will see what looks like a deer path heading toward the nest boxes. Follow that trail, keeping the sound of the lake to your right, you will eventually spot the Osprey platform ahead of you. I walked to within 10 ft. of the pole this morning, still no residents.
I am guessing that the open field with poles that you passed was the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory

Here's a Bing Map with some pushpins that explain the area.
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=r6mr6q ... 024B67!113

And I was able to locate a couple of Saw Whets

[img2]http://mrbirdnerd.com/2011/P3290692asm.jpg[/img2]

[img2]http://mrbirdnerd.com/2011/P3290713asm.jpg[/img2]
Mike F.
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Matt
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That close-up is fantastic!
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mrbirdnerd
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Thank you, Matt. The owl was quite cooperative, even had it's eyes open for me. Spotted this one about 5 feet off the ground in a tree by the banding station.
Mike F.
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mrbirdnerd
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Another great morning down at the woods. Got there just before sunlight, so I stopped to scan the bay as the sun came up. All sorts of activity on the bay, Mute swans everywhere, mergansers, long tail ducks, and pretty much right under my feet were 2 male and 2 female wood ducks.

Well the sun finally got high enough to give that deception of being warm, so I headed in.
Located 2 Saw Whets in the classroom area, and 2 more further down the boardwalk.

Walking further down the trail, I spotted a long ear. I went in closer to the tree, and spotted 1 more long ear just a branch away from the other. Decided to go back out to the trail and get on the other side to take advantage of the sun, and what do I see ? A 3rd Long Ear. All three in the same tree, just a few branches apart. Awesome morning, now I can go to bed.

Here's a couple pictures of the Owls. I'll photoshop them up after some sleep. Too tired......eyes blurry......must sleep.......

Saw Whet #1
[img2]http://mrbirdnerd.com/2011/P4010766sm.jpg[/img2]

Saw Whet #2
[img2]http://mrbirdnerd.com/2011/P4010777sm.jpg[/img2]


2 of the Long Ears
[img2]http://mrbirdnerd.com/2011/P4010783bsm.jpg[/img2]
Last edited by mrbirdnerd on Sat Apr 09, 2011 12:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mike F.
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backpacker
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nice shots mike
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hobkyl
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Indeed! :up: :up: love #2!

How high up were the long ears?
“There’s an inconsequentiality to our lives that living in the wilderness shows up. Mountain are real, they set their limits, they set ours. They expose us, make us vulnerable and strong at the same time. “
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mrbirdnerd
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The Long Eared were up about 15-20 feet up on the northeast side of the tree soaking up the morning sun. I would have gotten better shots, but it was early in the morning. They were not settled in yet for the day, and someone walked under the tree they were in. The Long eared are pretty skittish as it is, so they decided one by one, to move to a different tree.

Approxiate area they were in
Mike F.
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cbobcat49
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I'm going to visit the owl woods tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll be able to spot some. What's the best time to arrive for a best chance to see them? The earlier the better?
What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. ~Henry David Thoreau
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