Chris joined me this evening, as well as some locals from the neighborhood this evening. 

One couple told us about an Eastern Screech-Owl that was on their windowsill at 1 a.m. about three weeks ago.  They live on Central Park West.  This is consistent with research done after the initial reintroduction of the owls into the park and our experiences last year.  However, it always surprises me when I hear these stories.

Tonight after the fly out, we watched one of the owls hunt a rodent.  I think the owl missed, but it was a wonderful sight to see.   (It happened too quickly for photographs however.)

I’ve been photographing three Eastern Screech-Owls for about five weeks.  As I did last year, I’ve waited to release these photographs until after the owls had left their nest cavity and are now sleeping in high tree branches.

Despite my fears this winter that there were no Eastern Screech-Owls left in the Central Park, on Monday, not only did I see the three owls I’ve been studying but also a new adult bringing my count for the day to four.

A wonderful 60 degree evening with a crystal clear sky.  Chris, her dog Fig, Maureen and I were the regulars for the evening.

A nice evening, with Marie, Jim, Chris and myself watching the owls.

I was the only regular. The three owls were tucked into the center of the Willow this evening, a safe resting place given the high winds.

At fly out they stayed close to the Willow, first in low trees and then in the protection of a small tree due east from the Willow.

No songs tonight, but the parents continued to ignore the fledgling and do their head rubbing.  I wonder if this is part of the natal dispersal process, a clue that they might start a second brood–given the loss of their three other fledglings, or just normal behavior.

Scott was kind enough to show me an owl in middle of the park this evening.  I called Jean, and she came down to watch it with me.  When dusk approached, I went up to watch the North Woods fly out and Jean stayed behind to study this forth owl of the season. 

This was her wonderful report:
“Country owl, for sure – good long look at whole left leg (elaborate bath) not long after you left. Finally flew out around 8:10, to scrawny tree across downhill sidewalk. Mobbed and mobbed by robins and littler birds, and just sat there and took it for another 10 min, then moved to evergreen just below the roost one, mobbed and mobbed and didn’t move. That’s her hunting strategy, apparently: she just sat and waited until one of them got too bold and then WHAM! Ben came by just before that – I couldn’t believe that’s what I saw, but he said he definitely saw robin-size package in talons – clever little owl.”

N.B: The reference to “Country owl”, was that the owl did not look to be banded.  I had taken pictures of the right leg earlier and Jean got a good look at the left leg.  We could have missed the band, they’re hard to see, but if the bird is not banded, it could either be a mature second generation bird born to owls released in 2001 or a migrant from outside the park.  The later seemed most realistic at the time, hence the phrase “Country owl”.  However in hindsight, we really don’t know enough to make a guess.