The other evening as I was walking back to my truck I came across some chickadees and nuthatches in an oak tree. They were flitting around through the tree and their behavior and vocalizations caught my attention. They seemed nervous as they moved about the tree and they were calling to each other frequently. I watched them for about 10 minutes as I slowly moved closer to the tree. A hummingbird suddenly appeared and zoomed over to the lower part of the tree canopy. It hovered and moved back and forth as if investigating something. It then lit on a small branch nearby. I then noticed a small silhouette on a limb. I moved to better view the area and brought out my binoculars. Focusing in, I discovered a Northern Pygmy-Owl was the source of the commotion. A moment later with a burst of energy, it flew up the hillside into another oak tree. Wanting to get a photo, I followed. It took me about half an hour to locate it with the help of the hummingbird again.
This little owl can be observed out during the day. Interestingly, All About Birds by Cornell had this to say: “Most owls have asymmetrically placed ears as well as flattened facial discs around the eyes. Both of these features are adaptations that give them better hearing. Interestingly, Northern Pygmy-Owls lack these features, and this may be an outcome of their diurnal habits and greater reliance on vision.”
In my opinion, these owls are pretty fierce hunters of small birds. They are fast and fly in a similar pattern to woodpeckers—an undulating pattern of rapid wing beats interrupted by closed-wing glides. I saw one a couple of summers ago hunting around the meadow next to the White Oak Pavilion. It seemed to easily catch a couple of songbirds. I remember counting 30 birds surrounding it as it perched on a limb eating. Check out the varied diet listed on All About Birds: “Northern Pygmy-Owls mostly eat small birds, such as hummingbirds, chickadees, warblers, and sparrows, as well as small mammals, including shrews, moles, and chipmunks. However, they occasionally attack prey much larger than themselves, such as Northern Bobwhite and California Quail. They also eat insects such as beetles, butterflies, crickets, and dragonflies, as well as reptiles such as lizards and skinks.”
Note
I haven’t been able to get out as much these days. Due to the smoke from the nearby forest fire, the poor air quality has had me reluctantly sticking to home when not at work. Hopefully, the rain will come to our aid soon.
