It has taken a few years, but I’m finally getting to log owls onto my life list. This morning, I added three long-eared owls, thanks to the kindness (and high-tech equipment) of birders I encountered at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm.
I managed a two-mile loop on one of my favorite trail circuits, and I was about two-thirds of the way through when I spotted a gaggle of birders some yards ahead of me. One of the friendly birders with whom I’d watched the short-eared owls and harriers whizzing around yesterday spotted me and came forward, confirming my suspicion that long-eared owls had attracted the cluster of birders.
Owls are notoriously difficult to find, and in this case the sightings were technology assisted. One of the birders had used a heat sensor to find at least one of the owls.
I didn’t count the number of birders, but from memory I’d say it was roughly 10, counting myself. We kept a respectful distance from the edge of the woods in which the birds were perched.
With excellent, patient instructions and overcoming fogging glasses, I at last spotted one of the owls and then the other two. The morning started with fog, and it grew thicker as we peered into the woods for the owls. (The photo up top of a Northern harrier will give you a sense of how fuzzy the views were.)
I could see the shapes of the owls and got a fair reckoning of the coloring of their feathers, but I could not make out their faces. Birders with better looks reported the owls twitching and opening their eyes, and I made only a half-hearted attempt to take photos.
That’s OK. My priorities are sighting first, photos second. Seeing is privilege enough.
The Jersey Birder 