Owls have long fascinated humans, as attested by the ancient Greeks, who linked the birds to the goddess of wisdom, Athena. For those of us living in the modern world, owls remain a symbol of wisdom themselves.
I’ve had few opportunities to gaze into their soulful eyes, and I recently got the opportunity to see a long-eared owl. I won’t specify where or when, following the conventions of e-Bird, which considers the species sensitive and wants to protect the birds from intrusive observation.
A year ago, long-eared owls showed up at a local park, and one day I got the slimmest peek at a portion of the head and torso of one of them nestled in a cedar tree. It was a sighting but from afar through binoculars.
On a recent morning, a encountered a small group of birders loitering near a stand of cedars, and I immediately guessed they were near an owl, as word-of-mouth reports had been circulating.
A birder I’ve seen in passing a few times gestured up into the trees, and I looked for the owl but couldn’t spot it.
With a tug on my camera strap, the other birder whispered for me to crouch and look up. There was the owl, its long ears poking up, sitting about 25 feet high on a branch. Smaller branches defied me, and getting a clear shot with my camera was difficult. But no question, I was getting a true view of a LEO.
I texted my birder friend Laura, and we made plans to visit again the next day. Her husband and their dog came along, and we headed to the site where the owl had been the day before. There it was, in roughly the same spot, slightly more visible this time.
A group of birders and photographers was on scene. One of the shooters was using flash to take photos, and I didn’t have the nerve to scold him for it. Our mere presence stressed the owl, and a flash of light every now and then was obnoxious.
Laura kept her dog at a distance, and we stayed only briefly to observe the owl. I managed to get a few fair shots through the branches, and I’m pleased that I was able to do so.
I hope the other birders had the good sense to wrap up their viewing quickly and leave the owl in peace. That’s the wise way to go. 🦉
The Jersey Birder 