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After a month of stumbling around Yost Park after dark, I think I finally found the hollow in a tree that the resident barred owls are using this year for a nest.
One of the owls was perched in a tree above the walkway enjoying the last sunlight of the day.
While the other was perched in a hollow in the fork of a nearby tree down in the dark part of the ravine.
The owl took off....
and returned while being pursued by evil minions of the Dark Lord.
The evil minions of the Dark Lord raise a very loud racket when pursuing the owls. This helps me locate the owls when I first arrive at the park or warn me of one returning to my position after I have found them.
The owl perched on a branch in front of the hollow where it was buzzed by several crows. I heard one actually making contact with the owl.
and positioned itself to defend it. The crows roost elsewhere for the night and eventually leave to allow the owl to hunt at night in peace.
I'll admit that these photos are not the greatest, but it was nearly dark at the bottom of the ravine and I could barely see the owl. I was shooting at shutter speeds as low as 1/250 and ISO settings which began at 6400 and advanced through 12800 to 25600 and beyond to 51200. I am surprised the camera could even focus in such low light.
Pursuing the owls after dark without using a flash may be enough to rationalize my purchase of a 1Dx.
After I returned home to process the photos, I heard an owl hooting from Pine Ridge Park, which is adjacent to the end of my court. It is not a long flight across Main St. from Yost Park to Pine Ridge Park, so perhaps the owl was tracking me down.
Whoa! Bill - This is exciting. The owl in the hollow in a couple of your shots looks quite fuzzy - is it a nestling/fledgling do you think?
BTW, given your talent and recent possible loss of a beloved piece of equipment, you owe it to yourself to get a 1DX - why waste money on another lens??
I think the fuzz is just the noise of the high ISO settings and/or blur of the slow shutter speeds. The owl left the burrow for a few minutes, during which I took a couple of photos using flash for a better look. I don't want to use the flash when the owls are present, but shooting without it in this low light will definitely be a work in progress for me.
Is this hollow pretty close to where you have been seeing the barreds for the past several weeks?
It's a good bet they will use that hollow again next year.
The owl coming out of it sure looks to be an adult. After the owlets fledge here, they leave. They don't really use the nest 'til next spring. The ones at Tryon move down the trail a little ways and hang out in the deep foliage in a ravine. They pretty much disappear. I wonder what that barred was doing, you documented what appears to be some heavy fledging activity, the deliveries and back and forth to the nest. I'm wondering if maybe you found the nest just in the nick of time to see the little ones come out. One thing that I have a concern with is that crow. Is there only one attacking or is there more?
The tree with the hollow is in the middle of the area where we have been seeing the owls, but I'm going to stand down on the nest sighting for the time being. Terry and I (along with Terry's wife and my son) checked out the tree today in what passed for daylight up here. The hollow where the owl was standing goes straight through the trunk of the tree. We looked through both front and rear openings from a trail and saw nothing, unless the hollow drops down inside the tree. We did not hear anything either.
It is very frustrating, but the owls are providing me entertainment and exercise in the process.
Edit: Here are shots of the hollow taken Wednesday (5/29) in the daylight. You can see how the hollow goes straight through the trunk. Maybe those with more experience with owls than I can tell if it looks like a burrow where a barred owl would nest.
South side where I took the photos the previous night.
Tuesday (6/4) I gave the eaglets a rest and went hunting for the Yost Park barred owl pair. I started out at the clearing, which is one of their favorite hangouts. Not surprisingly, I found one hanging out there.
Several evil minions of the Dark Lord found the owl as well, but it held fast.
After the crows got bored and left, the owl groomed itself.
I turned my back for a moment and it disappeared.
Acting on a hunch, I ventured deeper into owls' territory and found them perched together.
I suppose they were only grooming each other, but it sure looked like they were "making out" to me.
NinaS: I need your 1Dx. High ISO settings, wide aperature openings, and slow shutter speeds are not conducive to flight shots when the light is low.
I tracked down one owl by following the distress calls of the robins. It was watching me from very close at hand for several minutes before I finally located it. Yet another case of the owl being in a position to take my head off before I had a clue if it had been so inclined.
I had seen the second owl flying in the distance. Once again I used the robins to find it. It was too dark for photos, but I did hear it let out some calls.
Terry and I were not expecting to see the resident barred owls during our Wednesday (6/5) mid-day walk through Yost Park, but I easily spotted one taking a nap at one of its regular hide-away spots.
I must confess that it is much easier to photograph the owl with good lighting at mid-day than with poor lighting after sunset.
The owl said, "It's only you guys" and went back to sleep.
This 100mm shot shows how the owl blends into is surroundings to keep from being harassed by the evil minions of the Dark Lord. The fir tree also keeps the owl shaded and cool on a warm, sunny day.
Here's one of my shots that was reasonably sharp - way low shutter speeds. 1/125s ISO 3200 with the 7D and 400. They look so innocent! Thanks again Bill.
Thursday night (6/13) I went back to Yost Park in search of the owls. I did not see them in their usual spots, but robins led me to one in the general area after sunset.
Two barred owls are having a hoot-out about a half block away, which in turn is causing a neighbor's dog to bark. At this hour of the night, I am not going to go out and look for them.
The solution is to get that dog back inside!