I followed the crows…
Just like last year I am back in Kennebunk for the Christmas holiday week. I arrived on Monday after a very easy drive up here - clear skies and clear sailing. I arrived in the afternoon which gave me time to get settled and organized for the week - needless to say my passion for nature photography requires a lot of equipment! Cameras, tripods, lots and lots of warm clothes, hard drives, laptop, memory cards, camera batteries and on and on. I had planned my first outing to be for Tuesday morning at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm. I spent lots of time there last year and loved it. This post is longer than usual so please settle in - I hope that you enjoy.
Off I went so that I would arrive about 30 min. before sunrise. It was about 23 degrees and hardly any wind. The forecast was for early sun and then the clouds were going to roll in early in the day ahead of snow that evening. As soon as I arrived I hoofed it as quickly as I could down the trail that leads to the beach. As soon as I crested the last part of the trail and could see the water this sight took my breath away… A red breasted merganser in this glorious morning light. You could just feel that this was the calm before the coming storm… the color of the sky, the stillness of the air and the calmness of the water.
Just small waves rolling in -
I looked up just in time to catch these birds in flight…
And then this young seagull flew by -
The color exploded in every direction -
I walked the beach for a little while after the sun came up and decided it was time to hit a new trail to me - so off I went.
Right at the beginning of the trail I had stopped and set up to see if anyone would fly into these thickets and trees… and sure enough - a beautiful female Cardinal showed up!
I knew that her mate couldn’t be far… so I kept looking and finally spotted him for a quick second!
This adorable chickadee - said - look at me!
And then he flew right down in front of me… and I spotted that he was banded! I am going to send this photo to the local Audubon to see if they can ID this little one. This is the first time I have ever spotted a banded chickadee… The morning was off to a great start!
I heard crows making soooo much noise!!! They were clearly upset by someone or something! I saw them in the sky up ahead - circling and crying out like crazy. I thought to myself… could there be an owl that they are pestering???? Or some kind of hawk??? Off I went along the trail following the crows cries… I finally caught up to the crows. More and more crows were coming in - and more were circling in the air! They were everywhere! Along this part of the trail there a lot of thickets so I couldn’t capture a good shot to show you how many - you’ll just have to believe me.
Crows were even squawking at each other. I kept looking high and low through the tree branches and thickets - how could I not see what was agitating them so much. I set up my camera and kept looking high and low - left and right… I kept looking…..
And then………..I glimpsed a “horn” of a Great Horned Owl!!!! My heart was beating like crazy - a dream come true!!! I quickly fired off a few shots just in case it was going to fly away with all of the commotion from the crows. As you can see it is so well camouflaged sitting behind the bittersweet. WOW!
But no, it did NOT fly away… it turned its head slightly and closed its eyes! I have read lots about Great Horned Owls as I am constantly trying to spot one. The only other time I saw one was with Lorraine and my sister-in-law and that one was way up in a pine tree in the middle of all kinds of branches. As soon as I took this shot I looked up to see that the clouds were moving in really fast… I knew I was going to lose this nice lighting quickly.
I’ll call her a she - I have no idea. She then turned even a little more keeping her eyes closed the entire time. I was looking high and low through all kinds of thickets while I was on the trail trying to find a better angle … with no luck…
Now I was losing the sun and the air was really beginning to feel very cold and damp. I kept at it but could not find a better angle….
I decided to continue on the trail and see what I could see from behind just in case there was a clearer shot. I knew I would be giving up the “better” lighting but figured it was worth it as the sun was gone… I kept going along the trail ….. and then spotted her! I still can’t believe this is the branch she was on the entire time…. she was wide open from the back side!!
I know that I have searched more hours than I can count to see a Great Horned Owl again… According to the National Wildlife Federation it is rare to see one because they are nocturnal and because of their incredible camouflage and their habit of roosting where they are well hidden. This was truly a score of a lifetime for me! Now I just wanted her to turn and look at me… I don’t ask for much… :)
I crept a little closer…. while still on the trail…
I was able to get in a better position…….. WOW!!!! You can see how from the angle that I had been at initially that she was sitting behind all kinds of branches and bittersweet…
A Great Horned Owl has a wingspan of 3 to 5 feet. This is one huge owl… Again, according to the National Wildlife Federation they can hear a mouse stepping on a twig 75 feet away! Their horns are tufted feathers and they can move their head 270 degrees. Their ears are actually underneath their feathers. Magnificent!!
Now you all know by now that I have a lot of patience when it comes to nature…. I had been watching this owl for 1 hour and 45 minutes by this point. And I was getting really, really cold… I so wanted her to face me full on….
She then turned decided to make herself big and shake around a little... Amazing to see the feathers like this. Clearly this a full grown owl - they grow to 18-25 inches tall and weigh 2 to 4 pounds.
And she finally turned …..with her eyes half closed….just so spectacular….
Back to making herself big - that gives you an idea of what her wingspan would look like -
She turned her head again… getting closer to a full on view… I was so willing her to move her a head just a little more - but I knew it was time for me to leave and get warmed up very soon… I had been out a very long time…..
And ….. - she turned that beautiful head of hers and opened her eyes and looked right at me!!! What an absolute thrill… another encounter I will never ever forget and will always be so thankful for -
She immediately turned her head and closed her eyes while she was all puffed up -
My last shot from this most incredible experience - she brought her feathers in and settled in for a good rest.
Wishing you all peace during the holidays and always -