A few years ago, we had a Northern Saw-whet owl come to our feeder area at night. And one came again last night! This one's looking for mice that feed on sunflower seeds that spill onto the ground when the birds are feeding during the day. Last night, this one arrived around 10PM and it stayed much later than we stayed awake. I went outside to refill our feeders early this morning and found no evidence of a kill last night. It will probably return tonight.
The Northern Saw-whet is about eight inches high and is nocturnal, resting in dark conifer forests before nightfall and it nests in old tree cavities. It is also the smallest of all of the northern owls and is quite uncommon in open wooded lands.
It's totally fascinating to watch it look for mice as it keeps looking down and turning it's head in an almost complete circle. And look at you every once in a while with its brilliant yellow eyes!
No comments:
Post a Comment