It’s a miserable, dark, snowy day here in Calgary. I was enjoying my book and a cup of tea when my corvid alarm went off.
As any birdwatcher knows, a flock of screaming crows, magpies and jays generally means there’s an owl in the vicinity. I grabbed my binoculars & camera, and braved the frigging cold weather to check out the high reaches of my popular tree. And this is who I found.
Great-horned owl
I always love the look on an owl’s face when they’re looking down at you. Or down on you, I should say. I can see a whole host of thought bubbles above his head, and none of them are fit for print!
His mob consisted of three crows and two black-billed magpies. It’s amazing how much noise five birds can make. They woke up both the cat and the dog inside the house, who were wandering around looking bewildered.
Corvid mob - owl on the left
This is a fairly regular occurrence in our yard, and we have corvid alarms go off several times a year. You’ll note this owl is surrounded by green leaves – said green leaves are frozen solid as temperatures have been hovering around -15C for a few days.
The mob eventually won the day, and the owl flew off to look for a quieter resting place. Dog and cat have gone back to sleep, and I’ll resume my tea and book, waiting for the next handy corvid alarm call.
The “corvid alarm” is a great way to find birds of prey. I had a Great Horned Owl in my yard last year, and I was tipped off by about 15 magpies squawking and swooping at a spruce tree. I’ve only seen a Long-eared Owl once, and it was being mobbed by crows. Last year a mob that included ravens, magpies, Blue Jays, and even two Hairy Woodpeckers led me to a Northern Goshawk. And recently I saw a mob of magpies, crows, Blue Jays and starlings chase a Merlin carrying a dead starling out of tree across the street from my house. In all these cases I never would have seen the bird of prey if it weren’t being mobbed.
I love the shot of him looking down at you. He has an intense stare. I wonder what he’s thinking….
How very cool that this happens in your yard!