T.V. Better Than TV

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Walking in Tennessee Valley this evening was a treat with beautiful light and tempered winds flowing over the green rock-strewn hills. No owls could be heard, and I came to the realization that even an owl-less evening in Tennessee Valley was still deeply satisfying. Little did I know I'd get to witness a Great Horned Owl in its full predatory glory.

Posted: March 31, 2008

A rare chance to sneak up on a deer who was preoccupied with joggers on the trail.

Having heard no owls, I decided to walk back to the car when I looked up and discovered I wasn't alone.

The owl departs and disappears into a favored bush in the ravine.

I thought about following the owl for another photo when a dark shape flashed right over my head. There had been another owl in the tree the whole time and it silently descended on outstretched wings, over my right shoulder and onto the hillside.

It scraped the ground with it's talons, turned a few times and nuzzled the dirt before fluffing itself up and settling down.

I settled in too and placed my camera on a rock to take this 1 second exposure at my lowest ISO setting to get some details.

Click the image to see the beautiful plumage. Usually I keep my ISO high in these situations to be prepared for any dramatic action in such low light.

At this point the owl was quite comfortable and rarely glanced my way.

It was now too dark for my camera to keep up with the owl as it burst off the ground, flew right past me, and back into the tree.

After ten more minutes frozen in place at the base of a stump and wondering about the whereabouts of owl #2, I heard strange noises gurgling up from the creek and coyotes crying in the distance.

It was really darkening quickly now. The rangers had done a lap scanning for stragglers but I couldn't bring myself to leave yet. Crackling on the gravel, the truck's red taillights dimmed and disappeared.

The owl perked up then leapt from the crest of the tree diving toward the hillside. I assumed it was heading for a familiar perch but instead heard the crunch of its taloned feet as it slammed into the grass near the base of a rock.

A second later it reared up and took off. A small bird flew off from the same place in a panicked orbit around the hillside. As the owl's silhouette crossed the sky I'm surprised I had the presence of mind to turn on my flash, focus on the its outline, and click the shutter before it disappeared into the dark belly of the pine. It was carrying it's prey and streaming a trail of plants grasped in the attack.

It seemed like a gopher but I couldn't be sure. The owl must have ripped it in half because it took two separate gulps to devour its meal. This photo was taken right after the first mouthful.

I felt good because the bird seemed at ease - enough to hunt around me, and it didn't show any signs of stress.

As I walked out of the valley with an overactive imagination filling in all the dark corners, I called out into the eucalyptus grove with my wanting owl impression - the answer I got made me smile. A Great Horned Owl answered back the way I have heard them answer one another, not with another "whooting" call but with a more muted, earthy, high-pitched, single call. I called once more and got the same soft reply.

Quite a night.

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External Links

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Guide
John W. Wall's Blog
Bill Walker's Flickr Page
Lineatus on Great Horned Owls