NORTHERN HAWK OWL

NORTHERN HAWK OWL along Morden Road: thanks to Gillian Butler for the photo.


Hi birders,

Marilynne and I went looking for the Northern Hawk Owl this afternoon.
After about a half hour of searching along Morden Road we went down
Thatcher Road to check the trees that looked over the meadows there,
but came up empty handed. On our way back to the highway we made our
way back to have a last look along Morden Road.
On the north side of Morden Road, about three hundred feet up from
Gillian Butler's house at 1819 Morden Road there he was, on his
favorite snag checking out the field and giving us the eye.
We were soon joined by Gillian and two of her neighbours for some
close up views of the Northern Hawk Owl through the scope. He sat on
the snag for about 30 minutes and then started to call and pump his
tail. After a couple more calls and tail pumping he flew over us onto
a another tree further up the road. He stayed there for a few minutes
and called again and did more tail pumping and then flew away and
disappeared. What a glorious display and well worth all our searching!
Many thanks to Gillian Butler for the heads up on this rare sighting.

Good birding
Neil Robins
Parksville
British Columbia