To owl of you

  

Happy holidays to owl of you!

 

 

The second photo is a Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) photographed in Petaluma at the end of the day today (24 December 2025). 

Sunset watcher

 

 

The sunset was quite something tonight (2 December 2025), and we weren't the only ones watching!

 

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) perched on top of a CODAR antenna that monitors ocean currents.

 

And here's a close-up of the owl in silhouette against that purple sky: 

 

 

 

Successs

  

Leaving work tonight (17 September 2025), we noticed a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) perched on top of a telephone pole.  I turned around and pulled off the road nearby.

We watched for a few minutes and then the owl crouched and took off, gliding down towards the ground:

 

 

 

It landed among the grass, but at first I couldn't tell if it had caught anything:

 

 

  

But then the owl looked up and I could see something in its bill.  This happened quickly, and looking through the camera I couldn't tell what it was, but zooming in later, the prey was visible:

 

 

 

A garter snake!  

It didn't take long for the owl to swallow the snake.  

The next views showed off those large yellow eyes:

 

 

 

 

 

And then the owl flew up to a nearby cypress tree.  The light was just right for a great view of its talons:

 

 

An unexpected encounter!  You never know what you'll see on the way home from work.

Sensory apparatus?

  

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) perched on an antenna that measures surface currents, 18 August 2025.

P.S.  With thanks to Sam for letting me know about this observation!  

Time for owls

  

Some of you might remember that I sometimes see owls in pieces of sea urchin test.  Here's one perched on a branch of coralline algae.  :)  From 8 June 2024.  Do you see an owl, too?

P.S.  For more "urchin owls," see the post called "Duetting" on 11 March 2013.

Storm watcher?

 

 

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) perched in a California Wax Myrtle (Morella californica) at Point Reyes on 26 December 2024.

Hunter at dusk

  

Well, that's one benefit of working late -- a chance to see Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) on the way home!  

Birds of a different feather

  

A few more miscellaneous bird photos from Hawai'i for you...

Above, a kōlea, or Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva), all dressed up for the breeding season and departing soon for the Arctic tundra.

 

 

 

Close-up of a nēnē , or Hawaiian Goose (Branta sandvicensis), endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

 

 

 

 

A distant photo, but these were my first kioea, or Bristle-thighed Curlews (Numenius tahitiensis).

 

 

 

Also distant, but fun to see a pueo, or Hawaiian Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus sandwichensis).

 

 

 

An ‘ūlili, or Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana) on a nice bed of limu kala. (I think this might be Sargassum aquifolium, formerly S. echinocarpum, but feel free to correct me!)  This endemic species is the state seaweed of Hawai'i and an important alga used in cultural practices by native Hawaiians.

 

 

 

‘Ā, or Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster).

Thanks for tuning in for some special guests from Hawai'i!

Owl moon?

  

We heard Great Horned Owls calling outside of our house tonight (25 March 2024), so I stepped outside to listen.  A great night for owls -- calm, clear, lots of stars, and a bright moon to the east.  An owl moon!  :)

Gliding into the New Year

  

I helped out with the Western Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count today (31 December 2023) and got lucky at the end of the day with a Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) sighting.  Seemed like a good way to turn the corner into 2024!

Happy New Year!

Light as a feather

 

 

A feather in the coastal prairie.  (Perhaps from a Burrowing Owl?)  Photographed on 7 November 2023.

The golden hour

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) in the early evening on 24 October 2023.

Morning owl

  

We were getting ready for early morning field work today (7 June 2023) when Sam noticed a large bird swooping across the field nearby.  We had great looks at this Barred Owl (Strix varia) before we left the area.

Thanks for the sharp eyes today, Sam!

Listening

  

Longer story, but I haven't been able to take many photos lately.  So tonight I went back into the archives and came across this photo from 4 February 2013.  The distinctive silhouette of a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), along with some views of its beautiful feathers.  This is a good time of year to hear Great Horned Owls, so listen carefully for their deep hoots during these cold, clear nights and mornings.

Low to the ground

 

 

I've been doing lots of desk work lately, but here's a quick shot of a fly-by Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) from 11 November 2022.

Snowy views

  

Distant but fun views of a Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) at the edge of the marsh along Duxbury Beach, MA, on 14 December 2021.

 

 

Burrowing among the boulders?

 Rocks, lichens, mosses...and an owl!  Can you spot it?

 

 

 

There's a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) just right of center.  If you're having a hard time spotting it, here's a slightly closer view (below).  [And you can click on the image for a larger version.]

 

 

 

Photographed in Petaluma on 31 January 2021.

Golden light

Recently I enjoyed spending some time watching several Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) hunting in the late afternoon/early evening:

 

 

At certain angles the December sun really lit up their underwings:

 

 

 

 

I also appreciated seeing the owls within the surrounding landscape:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just kept thinking how grateful I am that the owls have a such a beautiful space for hunting and resting.

Into the fog

We had to do some work during the early morning today, but afterwards we were rewarded with a nice view of a Barn Owl (Tyto alba):

 

There was dense fog at the coast, so you could see moisture in the owl's feathers.

As the owl flew off into the fog, it looked like an apparition, making us wonder if it had really been there or not:

 

Thanks, Tyto!

 

A bit of a blur

 

Whoosh!  What happened to the last ten years?  It's a little hard to believe that it will be 2020 tomorrow. 

I started the Natural History of Bodega Head eight years ago now, which also makes me shake my head a bit.  Is that really possible?

You never know what each day will bring.  Best wishes for the year ahead!

 

Burrowing Owl at sunset, 30 December 2019