While making my way through the forest I came face to face with Aegolius acadicus.
The northern saw-whet is a small owl and this one made no effort to make an escape. I had been making a fair bit of noise smashing through a thicket of dense brush before weaving through some branches to meet this owl. Hawks and larger owls prey on them so being down at a low level in the thicker brush is a safer place. Unlike the barred owl that visited the house, this owl seemed fit and alert.
1 comment:
I didn't recognize the scientific name, and when I opened the post it was a nice surprise! I had a similar experience‚ saw a northern saw-whet in a thick stand of short Rocky Mt junipers on limestone on the edge of the Black Hills. Like you describe, it just sat there. I backed away and did my plot elsewhere.
Nice photo!
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