Did you plant this habitat?
Picture 1. The first glimpse of the mystery bird.
It’s always wonderful to be able to spend a day in the field, regardless of the weather. The excitement is heightened when something infrequently seen is spotted. That happened on February 14 to a small contingent of Skagit Fisheries staff. While halfway through a stewardship visit to a property owned by Seattle City Light, SFEG staff encountered an unusual avian shape in a tree about 20 feet above the ground. It was roughly the size of a robin, but of a different silhouette, see picture 1. Closer inspection revealed that it was in fact a pygmy owl, picture 2. A little research back in the office revealed that this tiny owl species preys on small song birds, rodents and large insects, and nests in cavities of trees. For some reason this particular species will not use human constructed nest boxes, another reason to preserve natural places, especially with dead tree snags.
Picture 2. Another look at this bird shows it is a pygmy owl, and good at camouflage!
This particular property has been the site of multiple restoration projects, dating back to the mid 2000’s. What made this observation extra special was that this particular Douglas fir that the owl was roosting in was most likely planted by a SFEG volunteer on a cold, wet morning in February, much like when it was observed.
By Stewardship Coordinator Bengt Miller, photos by himself and Restoration Technician Lindsey Juen.
